Kumasi Court jails man 35 years for $50,000 currency conversion scam
By DL News
Published
1 min read
According to court records, Lawal received $50,000 from the complainant on July 27, 2023, claiming he would convert the money into Ghana cedis. Instead, he disappeared with the cash, failing to deliver on the agreement.
A 32-year-old man, Abdul Munaf Lawal, has been handed a 35-year prison sentence with hard labour by the Asokwa Circuit Court in Kumasi after being found guilty of defrauding a client in a foreign currency exchange deal.
According to court records, Lawal received $50,000 from the complainant on July 27, 2023, claiming he would convert the money into Ghana cedis. Instead, he disappeared with the cash, failing to deliver on the agreement.
After months on the run, he was arrested in Accra on June 27, 2025, while being investigated for a similar offence. He was later transferred to the Ashanti Regional Police Command to face charges tied to the Kumasi case.
Lawal first pleaded not guilty when arraigned before Circuit Court 1, presided over by His Honour Fred Obikyere. However, on September 3, 2025, he changed his plea to guilty. Prosecutors also told the court that Lawal had a criminal history, having previously served a two-year sentence for stealing.
Sentencing was initially deferred but on September 10, 2025, the court handed him 35 years behind bars with hard labour, marking one of the toughest punishments for fraud-related offences in recent years.
