AfCFTA Staffer in Court for Allegedly Diverting GH¢221k Into Betting Account

An Executive Assistant at the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Anthonette Ama Boakye, has appeared before Circuit Court 3 in Accra on a charge of defrauding by false pretences, after prosecutors alleged she diverted over GH¢221,000 meant for an 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 had previously been arrested in 2023 over a separate defrauding allegation and was being held at the Legon Police Station. It was during this detention, prosecutors said, that she met Police Officer Vincent Ariston Attipoe, a close friend of the complainant, Alfred Adu, a US-based businessman.

Prosecutors told the court that Boakye allegedly introduced Officer Attipoe to what she described as a high-return flight-ticket procurement investment, purportedly linked to her former employer, USAID. Attipoe then informed Adu, who later joined a three-way call with Boakye and agreed to invest.

Between April and July 2024, Adu allegedly transferred GH¢74,837 to Officer Attipoe to be passed on to Boakye, and an additional GH¢146,913 directly into her mobile money and bank accounts — bringing the total investment to GH¢221,750.

Prosecutors said Adu received no returns, and attempts to retrieve the funds yielded only GH¢20,000, which Boakye allegedly refunded.

Investigators told the court that a review of Boakye’s mobile money statements showed significant transfers into a Betway account, where the funds were allegedly used for sports betting.

The case has been adjourned to January 6, 2026.