A 60-year-old retired officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Thomas Dorkenu, has been granted GH¢350,000 bail by an Accra Circuit Court in connection with an alleged recruitment scam involving 60 prospective applicants.
Dorkenu is accused of collecting GH¢303,200 from the applicants after allegedly promising to secure their enlistment into the GNFS through what he described as protocol allocations. He has denied the charge of defrauding by false pretences.
The accused appeared before the court for the second time and was granted bail with two sureties. The case has been adjourned to September 24, 2026.
The prosecution, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye, had opposed the bail application, requesting an additional two weeks to enable the Police to complete their investigations.
DSP Nyamekye told the court that investigations were at an advanced stage and argued that Dorkenu, having served in the Fire Service for several years, was aware that 60 protocol slots could not be allocated to one individual.
The prosecution also raised concerns that the accused could be a flight risk, alleging that he had been staying in the Volta Region, where the money was reportedly collected.
Defence counsel, however, urged the court to grant bail, arguing that Dorkenu had been in Police custody since his arrest on July 28, 2026.
Counsel said the accused was first brought before the court on August 3 and subsequently remanded into lawful custody.
The defence rejected the prosecution’s account as “fanciful and full of allegations” and disputed the claim concerning Dorkenu’s place of residence.
Counsel maintained that the retired officer lived at Ashongman Estates and had no intention of absconding, particularly because he had served the country for several years and would not want to jeopardise his pension.
According to the prosecution, the complainant in the case is the Chief Fire Officer of the GNFS.
The prosecution said the alleged scheme began on February 9, 2026, when Dorkenu approached Eyram Davordzi-Banini, a midwife residing in Akatsi, and claimed that he had secured recruitment slots from the Chief Fire Officer.
He allegedly asked Eyram to mobilise people interested in joining the Fire Service.
The prosecution said Eyram subsequently mobilised 60 applicants and, on their behalf, paid GH¢303,200 to Dorkenu.
The money was allegedly presented as an approved fee for protocol charges supposedly authorised by the Chief Fire Officer.
The prosecution further alleged that Dorkenu later issued appointment letters to the applicants, instructing them to report to the GNFS Training School on July 23, 2026.
The alleged deception came to light when the applicants reported to the training school and were informed that the appointment letters were not genuine.
The applicants subsequently reported the matter to the office of the Chief Fire Officer, where they allegedly discovered that they had been defrauded.
The prosecution said Dorkenu was subsequently arrested by the complainant and handed over to the Police together with a Techno Spark C30 mobile phone allegedly used in connection with the scheme.
A caution statement was obtained from the accused in the presence of an independent witness. According to the prosecution, Dorkenu admitted the offence but claimed that he had also been deceived in a separate scam involving a Telecel number.
The Police have since forwarded the mobile phone for digital forensic examination and are also pursuing the individual allegedly associated with the Telecel number as investigations continue.
