<<Print>>

All roads lead to an Accra Fast Track High Court today where a suspect who vanished through spiritual means during sentencing will reappear to be sentenced again. On Tuesday, May 20, 2014, the accused, Paul Amankwa Osei Tutu, 28, vanished from the courtroom together with one of his accomplices, Jeffrey Kofi Boakye, leaving a dismissed policeman, Seth Dzamesi, their accomplice, to his fate. Police managed to re-arrest Tutu and will arraign him before court today. Boakye, however, is still at large. Before the court, presided over by Justice Paul Derby, could call the case at about 12 noon on Tuesday, May 20, 2014, Tutu and Boakye had vanished from the court room, leaving behind the dismissed policeman. Tutu, Boakye and Dzamesi were facing trial for defrauding a British national who is a representative of Tijani Resource Company Limited of $700,000 under the pretence of supplying him with 75kg of gold. Justice Derby, however, sentenced the three accused persons to 15 years imprisonment. Tutu and Boakye were also sentenced in absentia. Confirming the re-arrest of Tutu, officer in charge of Regional CID Operations, Accra, ASP Justice Nana Oppong stated that the accused persons were on court bail pending trial. He said on Sunday, June 8, the Accra Regional Police Command had a tip-off on the hide-out of Tutu at Dome, a suburb of Accra, after his disappearance in court with Boakye. ASP Oppong said Tutu was re-arrested and is currently in police custody waiting to be processed for court today. He said investigations were still ongoing to re-arrest Boakye. Justice Dery earlier during the trial issued a bench warrant for the arrest of two other accomplices of the accused persons - Mike Doe and Evans Akafia - who failed to appear before court to stand trial. The accused persons were arrested on Thursday, October 24, 2013 at the La Palm Royal Hotel, where they attempted to defraud another businessman of $1,000,000. The dismissed policeman, Dzamesi, used to perpetrate his fraudulent activities with fake names such as John Boadu or Seth Terpkeh. He was attached to the Striking Force Unit of the Ghana Police Service. Tutu and Boakye used names such as Wilberforce Nimako and George Kwabena Menta or George Yeboah respectively.