An Accra Circuit Court has discharged two students and a lecturer accused of collecting GH¢106,800 under the pretext of providing rooms and beds to students at the Dr Hilla Liman Hall of the University of Ghana.
The Court discharged the accused persons after it received a request letter from the University of Ghana, the complainant in the case.
Per the letter, the University has decided to discontinue the criminal trial of the accused persons.
This was after the two students paid the total amount to the police.
The Court presided over by Mr Isaac Addo discharged the accused persons and struck out the case as withdrawn.
The Court also ordered the police to give back the money to all the victims.
Joseph Appiah, 25, Stephen Nimako Ansong, 24 and Dr Kwadwo Owusu Ayeh, a 58-year-old Senior Hall Tutor, have been jointly charged with conspiracy and 32 counts of defrauding by false pretences.
Appiah and Nimako have been additionally charged with abetment of criminal offence, namely corruption of and by a public officer.
Dr Ayeh also faced an additional charge of corruption by a public officer.
The three accused persons pleaded not guilty and were admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 each, with a surety each.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer, told the court that the complainant, Professor Gordon Awandare, was a Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon.
It said Appiah and Ansong were level 400 students at the University, and Dr Ayeh, a lecturer and Senior Hall Tutor of Dr Hilla Liman Hall at the same University.
Chief Inspector Lawer said on October 17, 2023, the complainant petitioned the Accra Regional Police Command to conduct investigations into alleged ongoing bed-selling at Dr Hilla Liman Hall of the University.
The prosecution told the court that the complainant alleged that some students and staff of the University were demanding and collecting money from students of the University under the pretext of allocating rooms and beds to students at the said hall.
The prosecutor said on October 18, 2023, a team of detectives from the Accra Regional Criminal Investigations Department, led by a former Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Emmanuel Osei-Agbogah, visited the University of Ghana to commence investigations into the matter.
During investigations, 32 students who fell victim to the scheme were identified and contacted, and they confirmed that Appiah and Ansong demanded and collected various sums of money ranging from GH¢2,000 and GH¢2,500 from them and assured them that beds and rooms would be allocated to them.
Appiah and Ansong were arrested, and during interrogation, they admitted that they were engaged in accommodation and bed-selling deals with Dr Ayeh.
The prosecution said it was also discovered that Dr Ayeh, after assuming office, conspired with Ansong to search for students in need of accommodation and beds at the Dr Hilla Liman Hall.
The prosecutor said Ansong also informed Appiah to look for prospective students.
The Court heard that the accused persons succeeded in collecting a total amount of GH¢106,800 from 32 students under the pretext of offering them accommodation and beds at Dr Hilla Liman Hall but failed.
The prosecution said Ansong initially refunded GH¢30,000.
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