Driver’s mate jailed six months for stealing laptops, appliances from Finance Ministry
By DL News
Published
2 min read
Peprah admitted to the charge of stealing but denied accusations of unlawful entry and causing damage to property.
A 26-year-old driver’s mate, identified as Isaac Peprah and also known as Happiness, has been sentenced to six months' imprisonment by the Adabraka District Court after pleading guilty to stealing items from the Ministry of Finance.
Peprah admitted to the charge of stealing but denied accusations of unlawful entry and causing property damage. The presiding judge, Mrs. Abena Owusu Omenyo, struck out the two additional charges after the prosecution decided not to pursue them following his conviction.
According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Apeweh Achana, Peprah scaled the wall of the Ministry of Finance Annexe “E” Treasury Block at around 5:00 a.m. on August 17, 2025. He damaged louvre blades to gain access to an office on the first floor, where he stole two Dell laptops. Using keys he found inside, he later opened another office and carried away one Dell laptop, one Lenovo laptop, chargers, a West Pool tabletop fridge, and a Bluetooth speaker.
He reportedly moved the fridge to the ministry’s car park and hid it, while carrying the laptops in a bag as he exited the premises.
Peprah’s actions drew suspicion when two joggers returning from exercise questioned him about the bag he was carrying. Realizing he had been noticed, he fled toward the Ghana Revenue Authority Customs Division Head Office, abandoning the bag with the laptops on the road.
The alarm was raised, attracting the attention of Emmanuel Teye, a Customs Officer on duty, who joined others in chasing the suspect. Peprah was eventually apprehended in front of the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment and escorted to the Ministry’s Police Station along with the recovered laptops.
Police later followed Peprah to the spot where he had hidden the fridge. All stolen items were retrieved, photographed, and returned to the Finance Ministry staff present in court.
During interrogation in the presence of an independent witness, Peprah confessed to the theft in his caution statement. The court subsequently convicted him on his plea and handed down a six-month custodial sentence.
