The Asokwa Circuit Court in Kumasi has sentenced a 32-year-old man, Abdul Munaf Lawal, to 35 years in prison with hard labour for multiple counts of defrauding by false pretences.
Lawal was found guilty of defrauding a client after failing to honour his duties as a merchant tasked with converting foreign currency into Ghana cedis.
According to the prosecution, on July 27, 2023, Lawal received $50,000 from the complainant under the pretext of converting it into its cedi equivalent. However, after collecting the money, he failed to fulfil his part of the agreement and went into hiding.
Following extensive investigations, Lawal was arrested in Accra on June 27, 2025, in connection with a similar offence. He was later transferred to the Ashanti Regional Police Command to face charges related to the Kumasi case.
Lawal was subsequently arraigned before Asokwa Circuit Court 1, presided over by His Honour Fred Obikyere. He initially pleaded not guilty and was remanded into police custody pending trial.
On September 3, 2025, the accused changed his plea to guilty. The prosecution also revealed to the court that Lawal had a prior conviction, having served a 24-month sentence for stealing.
Sentencing was deferred to September 10, 2025. On that date, the court convicted Lawal and handed him a 35-year prison sentence with hard labour.