Eight before court over GH¢8.5 million theft

An Accra Circuit Court on Tuesday granted bail to eight persons for allegedly stealing various sums of money from a business woman in their capacity as her personal bankers.

They are: Kwame Osei Yeboah, Rita Ofosuhemaa Mpiani, Joseph Nwolley Nsien, Richard Dugan, James Omaboe, Michael Amankwah, Clement owusu Manu, and Michael Assibu.

Yeboah has been granted bail in the sum of GH¢8,000,000.00 with three sureties, one to be justified.

Dugan, who was absent the first time the case was called, was also granted a bail in a sum of GH¢2,000,000.00 with three sureties who should not earn less than GH¢1,000.00, whilst one of the sureties should be a civil servant.

The remaining six were granted a GH¢4,000,000.00 bail each with three sureties each one of whom should not earn less than GH¢1,000.00, whilst one of the sureties should be justified.

Yeboah who was refused bail on his first appearance with suspicion that he may abscond was ordered in addition to the bail sum to deposit his passport with the Court’s Registrar.

They have all been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and stealing. They all pleaded not guilty to the offences.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, (DSP) Mawuli Namebge told the court presided over by Madam Priscilla Dapaah Mireku that Yeboah until his arrest was working with the Consolidated Bank Ghana Limited (CBG).

According to the prosecution Yeboah was formerly a Relationship Officer with the defunct UniBank Ghana Limited which was taken over by CBG in August this year.

Yeboah was stationed at the Kokomlemle Head Office and his duties were managing customers’ account.

He said, Rita was a staff with the UniCredit Savings and Loans Company, Whilst Nsien was also a banker and owner of the Bivest Microfinanace Limited, whilst Dugan and Omaboe were Directors of the McCottley Money Lending Limited.

DSP Namebge said Manu and Assibu were Directors of the Co.Ma Consulting Limited and Jeffam Microfinance Company.

He disclosed that Yeboah and Manu are friends dating from their school days, whiles Yeboah and Rita are also friends.

In January 2016, one Madam Adwoa Konadu a businesswoman and a customer of UniCredit Savings and Loans informed Rita, her Relationship Officer that she was no longer interested in savings with a non-bank institution.

The Prosecution said Rita then introduced Madam Konadu to Yeboah, then with the Unibank as a sister company of UniCredit so Madam Konadu opened an account with Unibank.

DSP Namebge said when cheque books were issued by the bank in the name of Madam Konadu however Yeboah retained one of the booklets and later mastered Madam Konadu’s signature.

According to the prosecution, Yeboah informed Madam Konadu about interest rate in the bank for fixed deposits which was the only available product of the bank and she obliged to apply for it.

He said without the consent of Madam Konadu; Yeboah started forging her signature on the booklet he had kept and together with Rita started withdrawing moneys from the complainant’s account.

The money was invested with microfinance companies of their choice and succeeded in stealing GH¢2,000,000.00.

They then invested the amount with Bivest Microfinance Limited owned by Essien for a period of six months at an interest rate of 27 per cent.

He said in May 2016, the two again moved GH¢2,000,000.00 and invested it at McCottley Money Lending Limited owned by Dugan and Omaboe for a six month period at an interest rate of 25 per cent and also invested GH¢3,000,000.00 to Vivantti Microfinance Limited owned by Amankwah and that time Manu, a friend of Yeboah and Assibu were working there as marketing officers.

The Prosecution said Manu and Assibu later established Co.Ma Consult Limited in June 2017 and transferred GH¢1,000,000.00 into the new company’s account.

He said they then went ahead again to opened Jeffam Microfinance company, where GH¢3,000,000.00 was moved from Madam Konadu’s account into same.

The Prosecution said in October this year, Madam Konadu detected that GH¢8,500,000.00 had been stolen from her account and this led to the arrest of these suspects after investigations.