The Tema Police on Friday smashed a three-man syndicate that has milked Unilever Company an amount of 675.9 million cedis since 1999.
A Police source named the three as Mr Sarfo Budu, Clearing Agent for Sabesco, Mr Peter Sallah, Accounts Supervisor and Mr Opoku Arthur, Accounts Clerk, who doubles as cashier, both of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Tema.
The syndicate used cheques paid in by Unilever to cover payments made in cash by other customers and pocketed such amounts.
The source said that Unilever's clearing agent handles all the company’s imports through the Tema Port. The agent collects invoices from GPHA and submits them to the company for payment.
Unilever pays all their bills to the port with cheques through the agent, who hands them to the cashier of GPHA.
However, instead of paying such cheques on ordinary days, the agent and the cashier wait till weekends when they might have collected enough cash for payment of other transactions and use the cheque to cover them.
It explained that the cashier with the assistance of the accounts supervisor enter the cheques into their books and ensure that it covers those monies that they had collected and shared.
In addition the two accounts officers of the GPHA with the connivance of the clearing agent, inflate the amount, which should be paid by Unilever on the invoice.
Superintendent Daniel Tetteh Angor, Regional Crime Officer confirmed the story.
He said three other workers from Unilever, who sign the invoices and cheques, were also invited but have been released on bail until full scale auditing and investigations are made. He declined to give their names.
Superintendent Angor said the suspects would soon be arraigned.
