The Techiman Circuit Court has remanded Prince Owusu Baffour, a 31 year-old, level 200 distance education student of University of Cape Coast (UCC).
Prince Baffour who is also a pupil teacher is in the dock for defrauding authorities of the University Of Cape Coast.
He pleaded guilty to all the charges leveled against him.
The Presiding Judge, Mr. Daniel Kwaku Obeng convicted the accused on his own plea.
According to the Prosecuting Detective Inspector Diboro, the accused was admitted into the university in 2012/13 academic year and was obliged to pay an admission fee of 706 Ghana Cedis. The accused however paid 7.6 Ghana Cedis into the University’s Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) account at the bank’s Techiman branch and was issued payment order. He falsified the amount on the payment order from 7.6 Ghana Cedis to 706 Ghana Cedis.
Again, on 7th January, 2013, the accused collected 110 Ghana Cedis from one Amoh Barimah Sampson to buy university form for him. He paid only 10 Ghana Cedis into the university account and changed the amount on the payment order from 10 Ghana Cedis to 110 Ghana cedis .
The Prosecution said, on 23rd October, 2013, the accused was obliged by the university to pay his level 200 school fees of 844 Ghana Cedis, he paid 8.4 Ghana Cedis into the university account at GCB and later falsified the amount on the payment order issued by the bank from 8.44 Ghana Cedis to 844 Ghana Cedis.
The accused again was asked by one John Satuma, also a student of UCC, to pay his school fees on his behalf because he was ill at the time. He gave the accused 462 Ghana Cedis but the accused paid only 4.62 Ghana Cedis into the university’s account at Dormaa Ahenkro branch of GCB and altered the amount on the payment order from 4.62 Ghana Cedis to 462 Ghana Cedis.
On 17th of December, 2013, one Boakye Beca gave the accused 160 Ghana Cedis to buy the university form for her. The accused paid 1.6 Ghana Cedis into the university account and changed the amount on the payment order from 1.6 Ghana Cedis to 160 Ghana Cedis.
On 28th of February, 2014, another student , Adiyah Beatrice gave the accused 324 Ghana Cedis to pay her fees for her, again the accused paid only 1.24 Ghana Cedis and changed the amount on the payment order from 1,24 Ghana Cedis to 324 Ghana Cedis.
According to Detective Inspector Diboro, the accountant of the university detected some anomalies in the university accounting system and conducted investigations which found the accused culpable.
He was subsequently apprehended by the Techiman Police and arraigned before court.
The court has remanded him into prison custody to reappear on 17th October, 2014, after thorough investigations into his background as ordered by the court.
