Convicted criminal & inflated invoice uncovered in 307 ambulance purchase

The One-Ambulance, One-Constituency initiative by the Akufo-Addo administration, might just turn out to be one of the biggest wrongs committed against Ghanaians, with clear cases of crime overlooked by those in charge of safeguarding state interests.

The Herald’s investigation into the procurement of 307 Mercedes Benz ambulances, priced over US$120 million, revealed that state officials allowed one of the transaction’s beneficiaries, described by a UK judge as “a thoroughly dishonest person,” to walk away unscathed despite evidence of forgery and price inflation.

Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku, the Chief Executive Officer of Luxury World Auto Group Limited, was implicated in a series of fraudulent activities during the procurement process.

Police investigations confirmed he had forged a proforma invoice worth $189,982.00 and fraudulently inflated the amount stated on the original invoice by nearly $60,000.

Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku, during the heat of the procurement of the cars, was dragged to a Circuit Court in Accra after Police investigations confirmed he had forged a $189,982.00 proforma invoice in the name of a foreign company and also fraudulently inflated the amount of money stated on the original invoice.

Interestingly, the award of the procurement to Oppong-Kyekyeku and others, also shows how the state failed to do due diligence on the beneficiaries, Oppong-Kyekyeku, in particular, was once convicted in the UK, where he served a 3-year jail term for forgery.

Service Ghana Auto Group Limited (SGAGL), a consortium of seven used in the procurement namely; Luxury World Auto Group Limited, Elok Consult, RDC Company Limited, Beft Engineering Works Limited, Prestige Era Company Limited, Bluemix Company Limited, Quality Supply and Builders Company Limited, had each of them quoting different amounts for the vehicles which the procured from the same company with the same specification.

Alvin Mensah and Stephen Okoro, captured in separate business registration documents which had the names of Gyakroma Akufo-Addo and Edwina Akufo-Addo, the daughters of the President Nana Akufo-Addo, were also found to be business partners in Service Ghana Auto Group Limited together with Oussman Inusah, Kalilu Dauda, Mohammed Nurulhaq, Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku and Samuel Bannerman.

There is, however, doubt about the existence of some of the directors of SGAGL namely, Oussman Inusah, Kalilu Dauda and Mohammed Nurulhaq.

Samuel Bannerman, is said to have died. A certain Dr Christian Siaw-Mensah, who had previous identified himself and signed documents on its behalf as the Managing Director of SGAGL, gone had also missing.

A document authored by a prominent Accra-based lawyer, Kweku Y. Paintsil of the law firm of Paintsil, Paintsil & Co dated  January 13, 2021, and in the custody of The Herald says “Our client admits that he was previously convicted on Friday 5th March 2010 by the Crown Court, Snaresbrook, UK for fraud and sentenced to three years imprisonment. The sentence also disqualified him from being a director of any company for 8 years”.

“We are advised that he served the sentence and by a Certificate dated 15th June 2016, a Restraining Order imposed on him by His Honour Judge Bing was discharged”.

The 2-page letter served on Dr Kweku Ainuson of AB Lexmall & Associates of 22A Kwodjonaa Avenue Ars Estates, East Legon, Accra stated in parts that “As things stand now, there are no legal impediments whatsoever that restrains our client from engaging in any business whatsoever.

“According to our client, these are notorious facts which have been within your client’s knowledge at all material times and that the reason(s) why the two chose to part company has nothing whatsoever to do with your client’s present claims, which our client rejects as fictional and puerile having regard to his business track record to date”.

Aside from his criminal issues in the UK, Oppong-Kyekyeku, in Ghana, while participating in the procurement of the ambulances, issued a fraudulent invoice where he had figures that exceeded that of the original genuine invoice, and presented it for an official financial transaction as though it was legitimate, genuine and authentic.

The original invoice submitted by the company, Al Amani Spare Parts LLC, a United Arab Emirates-based company that had some business transactions in Ghana, was US$130, 910, 00 but Oppong-Kyekyeku was found to have forged another proforma invoice of dubious validity and purpose and inflated the amount on the fake invoice to $189,982.00.

Mr. Oppong-Kyekyeku, before being processed for court was arrested over the suspected crime and officially charged before he was granted bail. He was unable to fully meet the bail terms and therefore had to sleep at the Cantonments Police Station until the requisite conditions were met.

He is said to have also been involved in the forgery of the brand logo, letterhead and official document of Al Amani and put the newly inflated amount of US$189,982.00 on it.

The accused was also found to have used the fraudulent proforma invoice for the procurement of goods through Fidelity Bank East Legon branch for which an Import Declaration Form (IDF) was generated by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Investigations established that in March 2020, Oppong-Kyekyeku’s company was given a contract from the Government of Ghana to supply spare parts to Ghana Ambulance Services.

The accused then commenced the necessary process to buy the spare parts from AL Amani Spare L.L.C. for onward delivery to the Ghana Government.

As part of the procurement processes, the Dubai-based company, AL Amani received a purchase order from Mr Oppong-Kyekueku’s company in Ghana for supply of spare parts.

AL Amani, in response to the purchase order, then sent a proforma invoice with a total figure amounting to US$130,910,00 via email to Mr Oppong-Kyekyeku’s company, Luxury World.

Investigations have revealed, however that, Mr Oppong-Kyekyeku, after receiving the original proforma invoice from Al Amani, uttered and falsified the proforma invoice and inflated the amount to $ 189,982.00.

Mr Oppong-Kyekyeku, then caused the faked proforma invoice to be used for the procurement of goods through Fidelity Bank East Legon branch for which an Import Declaration Form (IF) was generated by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

A case was reported to the Police which led to the arrest of Mr Oppong-Kyekyeku.

During the investigation, Mr Oppong-Kyekyeku, declined to speak on the issue.

A request was sent to the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) to contact and verify the authenticity of otherwise of the proforma invoice with a total face value of USD189, 982.00 from AL Amani and the response from the Financial Intelligence Centre indicated that the proforma invoice presented by Mr Oppong-Kyekyeku was forged, after thorough investigations, the he was charged and processed for court.

This was not the first time Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku had been investigated for forgery as he had once been jailed for some three years for fake invoices totaling an amount of £245,000.

The judge in that case, Judge Georges Khayat QC, described Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku as “a thoroughly dishonest person”.

Mr Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku, was not only convicted into a custodial sentence but was also disqualified from being the director of any company for eight (8) years.

In the said case that got Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku into jail, he was found guilty of having presented some fake invoices totalling an amount of £245,000 over a period of two years.

He was said to have obtained illegally and processed secretly his unclean money via through his UK Star Security company in East Ham, East London and also wired some good amount of money outside the UK.

For some reason, Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku initially jumped bail and as believed to have fled to Ghana.

But he subsequently showed up to serve his term.

The report had been that a security boss who swindled more than a quarter of a million pounds from a major London property firm has skipped bail while awaiting sentence.

Ghanaian Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku, 41, faxed fake invoices totalling £245,000 to Jones Land LaSalle over two years.

The fraudster laundered his ill-gotten gains through his UK Star Security company in East Ham, East London.

Tens of thousands of pounds are said to have been wired abroad by Oppong-Kyekyeku.

Oppong-Kyekyeku, also recruited fellow security firm boss Paul Eskdale, 44, to help wash the dirty money through his Guardsman Security Services and Investigations in Welling, Kent.

Eskdale admitted conspiring with Oppong-Kyekyeku and was spared jail after Judge Georges Khayat QC suspended his 12-month jail term for two years.

Oppong-Kyekyeku was convicted by a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court last month but is believed to have fled to Ghana.

The crook failed to turn up for his sentence hearing today and Judge Khayat jailed him for three years in absence.

David Owusu-Yianoma, defending, claimed Oppong-Kyekyeku, breached his bail and ran in fear after being unfairly treated during his trial.

“The only reason he is not here today is the very real emotional stress and indeed the deep sense of despair that was brought upon him as a result of what he saw in this court”, said the Barrister.

But Judge Khayat said the exposure in the witness box of Oppong-Kyekyeku’s lies were the cause for his absence.

“Let’s not talk nonsense, let’s talk reality,” said the Judge.

“It would have been absolutely obvious when he gave his evidence he was massacred in cross-examination”.

The judge described Oppong-Kyekyeku as a ‘thoroughly dishonest person’.

Judge Khayat also disqualified Oppong-Kyekyeku from working as a company director for eight years.

Oppong-Kyekyeku will face confiscation proceedings should he be apprehended.

Judge Khayat suspended Eskdale’s jail term after hearing he returned a total of 51,000 pounds to Oppong-

Kyekyeku and took no further part in the scam.

“With a lot of hesitation I have come to the conclusion that I can exercise mercy in this case”, said the judge.

Eskdale, whose wife is a former policewoman, must obey a night-time curfew for three months.

He barrister, Mark Dacey, had earlier described his client as ‘contrite’ and ‘frankly terrified of going to prison’.

Oppong-Kyekyeku, of (28) Devon Road, Barking, Essex, was convicted of conspiracy to steal between March 2005 and October 2007.

Eskdale, of (80) Orchard West, Sidcup, Kent, admitted the same charge.

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