Bank Accounts Officer before court for stealing GH¢35,983.23

Cape Coast, Sept. 8, GNA- Daniel Owusu Yeboah, a 28-year old Central Accounts Officer of the Elmina branch of the First National Savings and Loans Bank was on Wednesday, arraigned before a Cape Coast Circuit Court for allegedly stealing GH¢35,983.23.

He pleaded not guilty to two counts of forgery of documents and stealing and was remanded into police custody to reappear on Tuesday, September 13.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Kanan Safo told the court presided over by Mrs. Florence Kai Otu that Yeboah was the Central Accounts Officer of the First National Savings and Loans Bank who coordinated the accounts of the two branches of the Bank in Elmina.

He said on Monday, August 8, the Elmina branch Manager of the Bank, Mr. Kenneth Atobrah, detected that Yeboah had accepted a GH¢2,000 cheque bearing the name of one Joseph Akonnor without following the Bank procedures.

He said when Mr. Atobrah questioned why the due banking procedures were not followed, Yeboah promised to produce the said Joseph Akonnor in order for the right thing to be done but failed to do so.

Chief Inspector Safo said the failure of Yeboah to produce the person prompted Mr. Atobrah to do detailed checks after which he discovered that the said account was opened by the accused person and that the cheque was a forged one.

He said a further check by the Bank Manager revealed that during the month of November last year, Yeboah opened two bank accounts bearing the names Mary Ansah and Ernestina Owusu Quarteng and credited them GH¢5,000 and

GH¢9,300 respectively and successfully withdrew the amounts. The Prosecutor said Mr. Atobrah then ordered an audit into the records of the accused person and an additional GH¢21,683.23 was found to have been stolen by him between November 2010 and August 2011.

He said during police investigations, accused confessed to having used some of the money to purchase a KIA Pride taxi cab with registration number GR 2787-10 and four plots of land at Amanfrom, near Kasoa.

He said further investigations were being conducted to retrieve all properties purchased by the accused which he admitted were with friends and relatives.