Sales representative of insurance company jailed for stealing

Kumasi, July 6, GNA - A 44-year-old sales representative of the Vanguard Life Assurance Company Limited (VLACL) has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in hard labour by a Kumasi Circuit Court for forging documents to steal GH¢9,626.00 from his employers.

Ampofo Bio-Tawiah was additionally ordered to refund the money or face civil suit after serving the custodial sentence.

He had pleaded guilty to charges of forgery and stealing.

Police Chief Inspector Isaac Mensah-Apenteng told the court presided over by Mr. Justice William Boampong that the convict was a sales representative of VLACL in Kumasi whose schedule was to win more clients for the company.

On April 18 one of the clients came to the office to make personal payment of a Life Policy premium.

When his file was accessed, it was detected that monies he had paid through the convict did not tally with the company's records.

Besides, receipts issued by Bio-Tawiah to cover the payments, when examined, proved to be faked.

The prosecution said when confronted, the convict admitted the offence.

Police Chief Inspector Mensah-Apenteng said an audit carried out by the company later uncovered the amount.

He said the convict used counterfeit stamp and receipt books to perpetrate the crime.

There were also occasions he forged the signature of the cashier to deceive clients into believing that the cashier had indeed received the payments.

The prosecution said the fraudulent deal had been going on for the past one-and-a-half years.