Court remands man who stole CHRAJ admin's phone, lawyer's laptop

An Accra Circuit Court has remanded an unemployed man after being caught stealing a laptop at the Ministry of Labour, Jobs, and Employment.

Foster Nyarko, the accused, reportedly took the laptop belonging to a lawyer on December 4, 2024, when he visited the Ministry in search of a cleaning job.

Nyarko pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful entry and theft of a laptop valued at GH¢24,750. The court, presided over by Basilia Adjei-Tawiah, accepted his guilty plea but postponed sentencing until February 27, 2025.

This is not Nyarko’s first encounter with the law. He has previously been convicted by the same court for stealing a mobile phone from an administrator at the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).

According to the prosecution, the complainant, Daniel Sakyi, a lawyer at the Ministry, was not in his office when Nyarko entered. The accused had initially gone to the Ministry to seek employment and was directed to the Human Resource Director’s office. Instead, he proceeded to the second floor, where he entered the complainant’s office—occupied by the Deputy Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation.

Finding the office empty, Nyarko took the opportunity to steal an HP laptop from the desk, concealing it in his backpack before making his exit.

Following an investigation, authorities apprehended Nyarko, who later confessed to the crime. He revealed that he had sold the stolen laptop to an unknown buyer in Takoradi.

The court will determine his fate later this month.