A constituency executive hopeful of the New Patriotic Party in the Subin Constituency of the Ashanti region has been busted for a seven hundred and forty-eight thousand cedis fraud.
Michael Asante is in the grips of the Ashanti region Police for posing as a self-styled lawyer, a travel agent, a senior attorney at the AG’s department, an associate to the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation and a law lecturer of the KNUST.
The suspected fraudster who operates with the name Michael Yaw Antwi Boasiako has already declared his intention to contest for the party’s constituency organiser slot for Subin when the party opens nominations.
For the past ten years, Michael Asante is alleged to have taken monies ranging from five thousand to forty thousand Cedis to secure his unsuspecting clients admission into public universities and into the security forces.
His arrest followed a fraudulent transaction he entered into with two contractors whom he promised to secure contracts with the Tema Oil Refinery.
Addressing the media, the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Juliana Obeng narrated, “He introduced himself to two contractors as a special assistant to the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Company with the promise that he could secure them contracts to build oil tanks for the Tema Oil Refinery. He asked the two contractors to pay him an amount of 695 thousand Ghana Cedis to facilitate the process but he failed to honor his promise and went into hiding.
The two mentioned the issue to a national security operative who managed to arrest him at Fumesua and handed him over to the police.”
ASP Obeng added, “In the course of investigations, others who heard of his arrest, have reported to the regional CID and complained that suspect Michael Asante under the same guise collected various sums of money ranging from five thousand cedis to forty thousand Cedis to assist in enlisting them into any of the security services, securing them admissions into tertiary institutions and securing them jobs in the ministries and agencies.”
Ultimate News’ Isaac Badiako Justice also reports that his checks suggest that the suspect uses pictures he has taken with former president John Agyekum Kuffour, Former Asante Mampong MP and onetime presidential hopeful Francis Addai Nimo and the former MP for Subin Isaac Osei to convince his clients of the power he wields within the corridors of power.
The arrest comes weeks after the acting Ashanti regional organiser of the New Patriotic Party Daniel Agyenim Boateng was picked up by the Tafo Pankorano Divisional and District Police headquarters for allegedly taking GH₵2,000 each from five persons and GH₵700 from two others to secure them jobs in the public sector.