Accountant in court over embezzelment

An accountant who allegedly embezzled GH¢247,663 from sales belonging to his employer, on Thursday appeared before an Accra Circuit Court charged with stealing.

Alfred Lathbridge who is also a salesman pleaded not guilty and the court presided over by Mr. Ebenezer Osei-Darko admitted Lathbridge to GH¢250,000 bail with one surety to be justified and would re-appear on July 26.

The fact as presented by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Alex Odonkor was that the complainant, Mr. Nicolas Karikari, was the manager of Oyameba Enterprise Limited located at Kokomlemle, Accra.

He said the accused who is the accountant of the company collected daily sales and paid them into the company’s account, and sometime in May this year, the complainant detected some malpractices in the company’s account and receipt books.

The prosecution said on May 15, the complainant asked his secretary a witness in the case to make preliminary checks on the invoices and cash book of the company and report to him.

He said on the same day, the accused called the secretary and informed her that he was unable to pay some daily sales of three shops into the company’s account but she should not inform the complainant.

However, the following day a report was made to the Police and the accused was arrested;during interrogation, the accused said he could not remember the exact account that he stole the money from.

DSP Odonkor said as a result, the complainant engaged the services of HAB Consult, a chartered accountant and management consultants based in Accra to audit their accounts from October 1, 2011 to May 15, 2012 and the accused could not account for GH¢247,663.**