Hairstylist Sentenced to Five Years for GHC139,000 Recruitment Scam in Accra

Accra: An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a hairstylist, Adwoa Nyarko, to five years in prison for orchestrating a GHC139,000 recruitment scam. Nyarko was convicted on four counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and defrauding by false pretenses, involving promises to secure employment at the Ghana Revenue Authority. According to Ghana News Agency, the court learned that Nyarko and her accomplices, Nana Osei and Charles Kwame Damoah, who are still at large, had in 2020 collected GHC139,000 from complainants Nana Yaw Barimah and Collins Atta Oteng. They promised to facilitate employment for some of their relatives at the Ghana Revenue Authority but failed to deliver on their promises. The case was presided over by Mrs. Ellen Ofei Ayeh, with ASP Raymond Ackon leading the prosecution. The prosecution detailed that the initial complaint was filed in September 2021, prompting a police investigation that eventually led to Nyarko's arrest in Asankare, Ashanti Region. During her interrogation, Nyarko confessed to receiving the money under the pretext of securing jobs, claiming she had passed it on to her accomplices, Osei and Damoah. Efforts to apprehend Osei and Damoah are ongoing, as their capture is crucial for further investigation and likely prosecution. The court's decision aims to serve as a deterrent to similar fraudulent activities targeting unsuspecting job seekers.