The suspect is said to have used fictitious documents to create a bank account through which he collected the money from the government on behalf of works carried out by an individual contractor without the contractor’s consent.

 The contractor, whose name has been withheld by the police, is said to have found out later that the amount owed him had been paid but into a different bank account.

The incident was subsequently reported to the Manet Police at Okpoigonno on March 14, 2017, leading to the arrest of Kwakye.

Complaint

Confirming the story to the Daily Graphic, the Manet District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Sylvanus Azure, said the complainant told the police that he was contracted by the then NDC government in 2013 to construct drains and gravel some roads in Baatsonaa at a cost of GH¢300,000.

The complainant, he said, claimed he was to be paid the contract fee upon completion of the work by the government.

After executing the contract, the contractor said he went through the process of getting his money paid into his bank account only to find out that the money had already been paid.

The victim said he was alarmed when he found out that the documents and account number through which the money was disbursed were not endorsed by him.

Arrest

After thorough investigations, it came to light that the 2016 NDC parliamentary candidate for Anyensuano had withdrawn the money.

The police then apprehended Kwakye in his residence at Baatsonaa to assist with investigations.

According to the police, investigations had established that Kwakye had forged some documents and was able to get the money paid into the said bank account with the help of some of his friends in the then NDC government.

During interrogations, Mr Azure said Kwakye admitted to forging documents and creating the bank account to obtain the money but claimed he had used part of the money to finance his campaign, while the  rest was used to buy a Hyundai Sonata.

Kwakye is said to have told the police that he used the money in the hope of paying back after winning his seat but his hopes were shattered when he lost the election.

The police said Kwakye had been provisionally charged with stealing and the vehicle had been impounded at the station while investigations continue.