Court grants two GHS 100,000 bail over forged Judicial Service documents, stamps

The Ghana Police Service has arrested two men in connection with a suspected document forgery syndicate involving judicial stamps, court receipts, and land documents.

Richard Aryee, a 35-year-old unemployed man, and Isaac Tse, a 55-year-old printer, were arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court on Thursday, facing charges related to the forgery and possession of counterfeit official documents.

Aryee faces two counts of forging judicial or official documents and possessing forged materials. Tse is charged with abetment and possession of fake Judicial Service counterfoil receipts. Both men pleaded not guilty.

Presiding judge Mrs. Susan Eduful granted bail to each of the accused in the sum of GH¢100,000, with two sureties who must be public servants earning no less than GH¢5,000 per month. The prosecution was instructed to comply with all disclosure requirements, and the case was adjourned to June 24, 2025.

While counsel for the accused argued that their clients were not flight risks and had fixed places of residence, Chief Inspector Benson Benneh opposed the bail, citing ongoing efforts to apprehend additional accomplices.

The complaint was initiated by Mr. Kwame Daniels, Registrar at the High Court (Human Rights, Labour and Family Division). According to police, Mr. Daniels received a tip-off suggesting that Aryee and others were routinely seen around the court premises, allegedly forging his signature on land-related indentures.

Surveillance led to Aryee’s arrest near the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) on May 20. A search of his bag revealed forged materials, including:

Rubber stamps in the names of Mr. Daniels, the High Court, Ecobank Ghana Plc, and legal practitioners David A. Koko and A.W. Quartey Papafio

A falsified Judicial Service counterfoil receipt booklet

A forged AMA receipt booklet

A fake indenture in the name of Moses Tawiah Asamoah

Aryee confessed to using these forged materials to process land documentation for clients and identified Tse as the individual who printed the fake receipts. Following this, Tse was arrested at his printing shop in Akoto Lantey, James Town, where police recovered four forged receipt booklets.

Both suspects were transferred to the Regional CID Headquarters in Accra for further investigation. Caution statements were taken from the suspects, in which they reportedly admitted to the offences.