The Asokwa Circuit Court 1, presided over by Fred Obikyere, has convicted and sentenced 32-year-old Abdul Munaf Lawal to 35 years in prison with hard labour for defrauding by false pretences.
The case dates back to July 27, 2023, when Lawal collected $50,000 from a complainant under the pretext of converting it into cedis. He failed to honour the agreement and subsequently went into hiding.
After extensive investigations, Lawal was arrested in Accra on June 27, 2025, in connection with a similar offence and later transferred to the Ashanti Regional Police Command.
He was arraigned before the Asokwa Circuit Court, where he initially pleaded not guilty and was remanded. However, on September 3, 2025, he changed his plea to guilty.
Prosecutors revealed that Lawal had a prior conviction and had served a 24-month prison sentence for stealing. Sentencing was deferred until September 10, 2025, when the court handed him a 35-year sentence with hard labour.
By Peter Quao Adattor
