Fake government official jailed

Page 40: January 11, 2008
Story: Albert K. Salia
A 45-year-old unemployed, John Bennett Mahama, has been jailed two years by the Sampa Magistrate’s Court in the Brong Ahafo Region, on charges of misrepresentation as a government official and with the intention of defrauding.
John Mahama was arrested in Sampa by security operatives after he was found boasting in town that he was going to save the position of some District Chief Executives (DCEs) whose fate hanged in the balance.
A source close to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) told the Daily Graphic that following the dismissals of 13 DCEs on November 16, last year, some unscrupulous persons started contacting some DCEs whose names were not mentioned to collect money from them.
It said the callers, who claimed to be officials at either the Office of Chief of Staff or National Security, told the unsuspecting DCEs that the reports of their performance appraisal were not in their favour.
It said the callers then suggested that the DCEs should “do something” so that they (callers) could use the money to mediate on their behalf to forestall their dismissals.
The source said the callers often requested GH¢500 and above depending on the resourcefulness of the district.
According to the source, another group of callers, claiming to be university students, told the DCEs that they had been engaged to do the appraisal performance themselves and gave indication that the reports were not in their favour.
The source indicated that some of the frightened DCEs had to part with some fuel allowance and requested the callers to return on another date to enable them (DCEs) to mobilise substantial amounts for the “big men” in Accra.
The source said after collecting the fuel allowance, the callers never showed up.
In the case of John Mahama, the source said he approached a female DCE to demand GH¢500 for the purpose but was asked to come another time.
The source said John Mahama was spotted at Sampa boasting to some friends about how he had put fear into some DCEs about their imminent dismissal.
It said John Mahama had claimed that the affected DCEs were willing to part with substantial amounts of money to enable him to save them from being dismissed.
Unfortunately for John Mahama, there were some security operatives around and he was subsequently arrested.
It said during interrogation, he admitted the offence and was jailed on January 7, 2008.