The Circuit Court in Accra has sentenced a 39-year-old Casual Worker (cleaner) at the Accra Sector regional office of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to 12 months in prison for stealing five computers estimated at GHc70, 000.
Michael Kwei Nunoo, who is married with two children (three years and one year) pleaded guilty and was convicted on his own guilty plea on his first appearance in court.
The court, presided over by Her Honour K.K. Obiri Yeboah while sentencing the convict, said it took into consideration the fact that he is a family man and was not previously known to the law.
The convict moments after the court sentenced him to serve 12 months in hard labour broke down in tears.
The brief facts of the case as presented to the court by the Prosecutor Chief Inspector Dennis Terkpetey, were that the Complainant in this case CRO/Mr Paul O. Annan is the Greater Accra Sector Commander of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority.
Chief Inspector Terkpetey said on or before August 19, 2021, the office detected theft of five brand new Dell (all-in-one) Optiplex computers valued at GHc70,000.00 allocated to the James Town Collection by the Authority for onward installation for official use.
The Prosecutor said, as a result of this worrying development, a report was made at the investigations wing of the Authority, and the accused person was arrested for investigations.
He said, during interrogation and in his cautioned statement to the Police, the accused admitted the offence and indicated that he sold them to one Abeka at the price of GHC 1,000.00 for all the five computer sets.
He told the court that, the convict subsequently led officers to the said Abeka shop at Chorkor but he could not be traced.
“In the course of the investigations, the family of the accused person-produced all the five computers upon directives of the accused person,” he told the court.
He said, “efforts are underway to trace and arrest the said dishonest receiver, Abeka for questioning.”
The accused person was, therefore, charged and brought before the honourable Court for the substantive offence as stated on the charge sheet.
