In 2012, Mercy Ablakwa, the younger sister of Deputy Minister of Information Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, was arrested in the United States of America (USA) for forgery.Mercy, who was 22-years-old at the time, faced criminal prosecution.

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Documents available to the Daily Guide newspaper indicated that Mercy, a student of Charleston University in West Virginia, was arrested on October 7, 2011, in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, and was subsequently charged with the offense of Forgery-Uttering under section 943.38 of the statutes of the State of Wisconsin.

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A criminal case was filed against Mercy in court on October 9, 2011, two days after her arrest, where the charge of forgery-uttering was preferred against her.Daily Guide gathered that the charge of forgery-uttering is classified as a felony under the laws of Wisconsin and that a guilty verdict could have seen Mercy receiving a fine of up to $10,000 or an imprisonment of up to 6 years or both.

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Checks by the paper also established that Mercy Ablakwa got admission into Charleston University in West Virginia in the immediate aftermath of the assumption of office of the Mills/Mahama-led NDC administration and was still a student in the University at the time of her arrest.Mercy, who turned 23 that year, had the same mother as the Deputy Minister but the two had different fathers.

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Attempts to reach Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa for his comments proved unsuccessful since he failed to answer his phone, sources said he was well aware of his sister’s arrest as he was put in the know hours after she was busted.<img src="

alt="" class="wp-image-631237" style="width:961px;height:auto"/>North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto AblakwaHe was said to have expressed concern that it may

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dent his image as a government official, especially considering the fact that he was contesting the North Tongu constituency primaries of the NDC. Sources around the Ministry of Information and friends of the Deputy Minister indicated that Mr.

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Ablakwa was conscious of the fact that this case could be a huge arsenal for his opponents in the race, including the sitting Member of Parliament, Charles Hodogbey, who had been fighting him for the party’s parliamentary ticket for the area.It was alleged that since traveling to the United States, Mercy Ablakwa had maintained a close relationship with her brother, the Deputy Minister, who was said to have facilitated the trip.

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Daily Guide’s sources in Wisconsin said top lawyers in the state were defending the sister of the deputy minister.Mercy was scheduled to reappear in court on February 1, 2012.

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