Two Nigerian students accused of falsifying documents to siphon over 80,000 dollars belonging to Knustford University College appeared before an Accra Circuit Court on Tuesday.
The two level 300 students of the College, Femi Job and Gaius Biboye, charged with conspiracy to commit crime, falsification of accounts, stealing and forgery of documents, have pleaded not guilty.
The court presided over by Mr Francis Obiri after listening to submissions from defence and prosecution admitted Femi to bail in the sum of GHc 150,000 with five sureties.
Four out of the five sureties are to be Ghanaians and public servants earning not less than GHc 300.
The court however remanded Biboye into police custody to reappear on May 13. It noted that Biboye was arrested by the police recently.
In the case of Femi, the court said that he was first arraigned on April 4, this year and remanded till April 14 this year. Although he was admitted to bail, he was unable to execute the bail bond.
However, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Moses Atibilla vehemently opposed the bail offered to the accused persons saying they might interfere with police investigations.
According to him the Police had certain clues which they would like to investigate.
Mr Abraham Amaliba, who represented the accused persons, described the case of the prosecution as untrue, adding that, at the right time they would prove their case.
ACP Atibilla said the Accounts Officer of Knusford University College was the complainant. The accused persons, according to prosecution were admitted into the school in 2011.
Prosecution said the accused persons who were to pay 1,400 dollars as fees per semester paid for the first semester in level 100 and adopted a mechanism to convince the complainant and school authorities that they had paid the fees in full.
ACP Atibilla contended that the accused persons went to the Bank of Africa, which was officially assigned for student to pay their fees and forged cash deposits slips duly endorsed with bank official stamps and submitted same to the school accounts office.
According to the prosecution, the accused persons succeeded in convincing about 40 students from Nigeria, who were in the school that the Governor of the Bayela State in Nigeria was offering scholarships to Nigerian students who pay their fees through them at the Bank of Africa, and that, they would in addition, get GHc 150 after paying their fees.
On March 26, this year, the complainant detected a shortage of 80,000 dollars from the accounts and an interim investigation revealed that the accused persons were responsible. The complainant reported the matter to the police and accused persons were arrested. GNA
