An Executive Assistant at the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Anthonette Ama Boakye, has been put before Circuit Court 3 in Accra on a charge of defrauding by false pretences, after prosecutors alleged she diverted more than GH¢221,000 intended for a ticket-procurement investment into a sports betting account.
Boakye, who pleaded not guilty, was granted GH¢200,000 bail with three sureties — two of whom must be close relatives, with one required to justify.
According to the facts presented in court, the accused was previously arrested in 2023 over a separate defrauding allegation and detained at the Legon Police Station.
It was during that detention, prosecutors said, she met Police Officer Vincent Ariston Attipoe, a close friend of the complainant, Alfred Adu, a US-based businessman.
Prosecutors told the court that Anthonette allegedly introduced Officer Attipoe to what she claimed was a high-return flight-ticket procurement venture linked to her former employer, USAID.
Attipoe reportedly relayed the proposal to Adu, who later spoke with Boakye in a three-way call and agreed to invest.
Between April and July 2024, Adu allegedly transferred GH¢74,837 to Officer Attipoe to be forwarded to Boakye, and an additional GH¢146,913 directly to her mobile money and bank accounts — totalling GH¢221,750.
Prosecutors said the complainant received no returns and demanded a refund, but only GH¢20,000 was allegedly repaid.
Investigators told the court that a review of Boakye’s mobile money statements revealed that much of the money had been transferred into a Betway account, where it was allegedly used for sports betting.
The case has been adjourned to January 6, 2026.
