2 CBG staff who feared lay-off, steal GHC200,000

Two persons who allegedly conspired and stole an amount of GHS200,000 from the Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG) Limited, were, on Tuesday, 4 September 2018, put before an Accra Circuit Court.

The two, Bobic Kwamena Yeboah and Prince Ababio, were charged on three counts of stealing and conspiracy.

They pleaded not guilty to all the charges and were remanded by the court presided over by Mrs Marian Affoh to reappear on 18 September 2018.

Counsel for the accused persons, Mr Theophilus Donkor, prayed the court for bail for his clients but the court refused.

Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), George Amegah, told the court that the complainant, Daniel Wilson Addo, is the Managing Director of Consolidated Bank Ghana Limited.

The Bank came into existence on 1 August 2018, when five private banks, including Beige Bank, were merged.

He said Bobic was a Bullion Teller with the defunct Beige Bank while Prince was a Cash Boy also with the same bank.

He said with the collapse of the Beige Bank, the two accused persons together with seven others were retained under the supervision of one Christian Ekow Aidoo to manage what has been named the Central Vault of the Consolidated Bank Ghana.

The prosecution said the duties of the accused persons included distributing cash to the various branches under the bank.

On 23 August 2018, the two accused persons met to discuss what their future would be with the imminent lay-off of staff of the merged banks, which was likely to affect them.

He told the court that Prince boasted that he was already into a car sales business and in the worst scenario of a lay-off, he would continue with the said business.

Bobic was helpless as he had no business, apart from the banking work, and Prince promised that he could get him into the car business if he was able to raise the needed fund.

An amount of GHS200,000.00 was agreed upon for a start, which they agreed to steal from the vault of the bank.

DSP Amegah said on the same day when Bobic went to receive the cash requirement for distribution to the bank's branches assigned him, he increased the cash requirement by GHS100,000.00.

He said Bobic went for the said amount from the Central Vault, which he handed over to Prince to take away.

Bobic was able to hide the cash since he was the same person who counts the cash in the vault after the day’s work.