The Asokore Mampong District Court presided over by Her Worship, Portia Molly Sally has ordered for a mental examination to be run on Kwame Fordjour aka Dr UN following his arrest some weeks ago.
Dr UN came into the limelight following the presentation of fake unverifiable awards to some Ghanaian celebrities and public figures under a clever disguise of the United Nation and Kofi Annan Foundation.
He was arrested during an interview with Kumasi-based Hello FM on October 16, 2020, for defrauding by false pretences from four different complainants.
According to the trial judge, the mental fortitude of an accused person is a primary requirement to a fair trial which means that it has become paramount for Dr UN to have the mental health to understand and appreciate court proceedings.
Dr UN has been granted bail at the amount of GH¢ 15, 000 with two sureties to be justified.
READ THE FULL FACTS OF THE CASE BELOW:
Presenting the facts of the case to court, Inspector Samuel Mensa, disclosed the complainants, in this case, are renowned members of society, directors of some institutions and also a district chief executive, all residing at different locations within the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs in the Ashanti region.
The Prosecutor added that the accused is a self-styled coordinator of Global Public Service, a non-legally existing Non-Governmental Organization said to be with the United Nations (UN) and working in Ghana.
According to the prosecutor, Inspector Samuel Mensah, during July and August 2018, the accused, with the intent to defraud, went to the complainants with letters and memorandum to the effect that they won an award from the office of the UN Ghana.
He added the accused went on to convince the unsuspecting complainants that the said award named as ‘The United Nations Gold Star Honour of Excellence Leadership Award’ was to be conferred on them by the UN at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUS) to be followed by a so-called Red-carpet Dinner reception to be held in honour of the recipients and their followers who were to pay GH¢1,000.00 each for the so-called Red-carpet reception.
“My Lord convinced about this false representation, the complainants went ahead and paid different sums of money to the accused through his MTN mobile money account and bank numbers,” Inspector Mensa noted.
The Prosecutor told the court that on the 3rd day of August 2018, the complainants gathered at the Great Hall of the KNUST at 6:30 pm in anticipation of a memorable event.
“But after they had waited for more than three hours, complainants became agitated only to be informed that the programme would no longer take place,” he told the court.
Inspector Mensa stressed the complainants then begun to demand the money they had paid for the so-called Red-carpet Dinner reception.
According to the prosecution, the accused failed to refund the money to the complainants, hence a scuffle ensued and the Police were called where accused was arrested and handed over to the KNUST Police for necessary action.
The accused admitted having collected the various sums of money from the complainants but stated that due to some circumstances beyond his control, the programme could not take place.
The organiser for the infamous ‘Global Blueprint Excellence Awards’, which has been described by many as a scam following revelations that it had no affiliation with the UN as he had touted, Dr UN, through his counsel, Kwame Adofo, told the court that all charges levelled against him will be contested.
The presiding judge, Her Worship Portia Molly Sally, ordered a psychiatric examination of Dr UN.
“Under Section 133 (1) of Act 30, I am not certain that the first accused is of sound mind to stand trial or to plea to the charges without a scientific examination. It is, therefore, prudent to hold on to the trial and order that the first accused should be medically examined,“ the presiding judge ruled.