Yes, I Stole Gh¢87k From Ghana Post

Mr. Adjei Manu, the accounts officer who misappropriated about GH¢87,000 belonging to the Ghana Post, Kumasi, has admitted to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Circuit court, presided by His Honour Adjei Frimpong, that he stole the said amount, and used it to construct two houses for his mother at Adugyama.

According to him, his mother and other relatives lived in a single room at Adugyama, so he decided to steal some money from Ghana Post, where he worked as an accounts officer in charge of withdrawing monies from the Agriculture Development Bank (ADB).

He admitted to the court that after the internal auditors detected his fraudulent activities, he confessed and told them he used the money to build two separate self-contained houses, so they should allow him to sell the houses and pay back the money, but his plea was not taken.

Mr. Manu, who was appearing in court for the fifth time, had still not engaged the services of a lawyer, and told the court that he had not witness to his defense. He did not cross-examine the witnesses who testified in the case, as he told the judge that he had no questions to ask.

The witnesses, namely, Stephen Frimpong, and internal auditor, Vida Quansah, head of treasury, Alberta Ayitey, and accounts officer, and Kojo Manu, a finance officer of the Ghana Post who testified to the court separately, noted that in August last year, the accused, after an audit, admitted to them that he stole the said monies.

According to Frimpong, the internal auditor, in August last year, he was asked by the Head of the Internal Audit, Mr. Peter Annan, to audit the proceedings of the Western Union Money Transfer at the Suame Post.

He said in the course of his work, he detected that between August and October 2008, the accused withdrew remittances to the total sum of GH¢2,000 from the ADB, which was supposed to be sent to the Suame Post, but did not do so, even though the accused had entered the said amount in the cash book at the accounts office of the Ghana Post, Kumasi Main.

He stated that he recorded the said amount, and accordingly wrote his audit report to his superior. The three other witnesses (Vida, Alberta and Manu) all admitted that in August last year, they were there together with the accused, when one of the auditors (Alex Amoah) brought a document on which an amount of GH¢20,000 was to be given to the Kumasi Main branch of the Ghana Post by the accused, but realised that the accused sent GH¢13,000 instead.

They said, separately, that the accused, after enquiries, admitted the offense in their presence. Chief Inspector Eben Amesimeku, of the Central Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Kumasi, is the prosecution officer. The case has been adjourned for further hearing on November 27, 2009.