Former Assembly Member Faces Charges for Alleged Misappropriation of Funds Meant for Road Construction

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Former assembly member Nii Armah Ashitey of the Adobetor electoral area in La Dadekotpon Municipality has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court on charges that he stole GH₵500,000 that a foundation had set aside for the construction of roads and drainage systems.


In relation to the alleged fraudulent actions, the 63-year-old former assembly member is accused with money laundering, using public position for personal advantage, and deceiving by false pretenses. Ashitey has entered a not guilty plea to the accusations leveled against him, notwithstanding the claims.

Ashitey was granted bail in the amount of GH₵500,000 with two sureties during the court hearings presided over by Mr. Isaac Addo. The case was then postponed to April 2, 2024, in order to allow for additional legal proceedings.


According to the prosecution led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Seth Frimpong, the complainants, Maxwell Ahugah and Mrs. Naomi Vogel, serving as manager and director respectively of the Robert Vogel Memorial Foundation, engaged in philanthropic activities within the community. Their foundation had initiated a project to construct a road and drainage system as part of community development activities in the Adobetor electoral area.


The prosecution detailed that during Ashitey's tenure as an assembly member, he was approached by the foundation to facilitate the construction project. Ashitey, leveraging his position and influence, purportedly provided false information and documents to secure funds totalling GH₵500,000 into his personal account, under the guise of executing the construction work.

Despite claiming to have utilized the funds for project mobilization, Ashitey failed to substantiate his claims with necessary receipts or documentation during interrogations by law enforcement. Investigations further revealed that the road and drainage project, allegedly financed by the foundation, had not been executed as purported by the accused.

The prosecution argued that Ashitey's actions of deceiving the foundation officials into misappropriating the funds, coupled with his failure to fulfill the construction obligations, constituted fraudulent conduct. The former assembly member's alleged misrepresentation and subsequent misappropriation of the funds were deemed a breach of trust and misuse of public office for personal enrichment.

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