Kinsley Ofosu, the only survivor of the renowned ‘Deadly Voyage’ stowaway incident in 1992, was apprehended for an alleged €120,000 fraud.
Kingsley Ofosu gained international fame in 1992 for miraculously surviving a stowaway journey.
After nearly twenty-five years of unrelenting pursuit, the police arrested Ofosu at a hideout in Prampram, Greater Accra.
He was arrested on Saturday, October 14, and subsequently presented before the Takoradi Circuit Court B.
Inspector Robert Yawson, prosecuting, informed the court presided over by Henrietta Charway that the suspect had been on the police’s wanted list since 1998.
The prosecution requested the court to detain the suspect to allow the police to complete their investigations, fearing that he might interfere with the probe if granted bail.
Victor Owusu, counsel for the accused, sought bail for his client but was denied.
Kingsley Ofosu has been remanded in police custody and is expected to reappear on Monday, October 30, 2023.
The complainant, Charles Ohemeng, based in Germany, alleges that he encountered the accused in Germany in 1997 after Ofosu’s international notoriety following his miraculous escape from the MC Ruby Cargo Ship.
Ohemeng claimed that he shipped vehicles and printing machines through Ofosu to Ghana, worth approximately 240,000 deutschmarks (equivalent to 120,000 Euros).
According to him, these items were sent to Ofosu in Ghana, and he lost contact with him until his recent arrest.
How Kingsley Ofosu Gained International Fame:
In 1992, Kingsley Ofosu made global headlines after surviving a massacre of African stowaways by the crew of the Bahamian-flagged Ukrainian-crewed cargo ship, MC Rugby.
Ofosu lost his half-brother, Albert Cudjoe, in the incident. When the crew members’ trial became internationally known, film companies approached Ofosu to purchase the rights to his story. He eventually reached an agreement with Union Pictures and Viva Films. The Union Pictures/Viva Films production was to be financed by HBO and the BBC.
Stuart Urban wrote the screenplay for Deadly Voyage, using interviews with Ofosu as the primary source material. The movie was shot in England and Ghana.
The cast of Deadly Voyage included Omar Epps as Kingsley Ofosu, Joss Ackland as the ship’s captain, Sean Pertwee as Ion Plesin, David Suchet as Andreas Vlachos, and Ghana’s David Dontoh, Oscar Provencal, and Juliet Asante.
