Nine persons on bail for stealing over GH¢135,000 from bank
An Accra Circuit Court on Monday granted a GH¢500,000.00 bail each to nine persons for stealing GH¢135,330.00 belonging to the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), Dansoman branch.
The accused are Leonard Edem Kosse Segbefia, 26, Unemployed, Harris Okumka, 34, construction worker, Owusu Larbi alias Kwame Banks, 31, Graphic Designer, Fidel Kokou Missodey, 23, clerk, Douglass Addo, 29, Unemployed, Desmond Bress-Biney, 32, Researcher, and Kwadwo Odoi-Baah, 29, Unemployed; were charged variously for stealing.
Janet Wenia Addah, 26, unemployed, together with Mahama Salifu, 28, Dispatch Rider were charged with abetment of crime.
The nine denied the various charges.
The Court ordered that the accused persons get a public servant each to stand as surety for the bail.
In addition to the charges, Segbefia has been charged for stealing whiles Missodey, Addo, Bress-Biney and Odoi-Baah have been charged with attempted stealing.
They will make their next appearance on January 6, 2020.
Meanwhile the Police are searching for one Israel Edem Kemevor, alias Python and several other accomplices currently on the run.
Police Chief Inspector Emmanuel Kwame Haligah told the Court presided over by Mrs Jane Harriet Akweley Quaye that the complainants are the Managers of Dansoman, Abeka –Lapaz and Madina Branches of ADB.
He said all the accused persons lived in Accra and on October 2019, Okumka had a discussion with Kemevor to look for a customer of ADB with a visa card.
Okumka contacted Larbi who also contacted Segbefia who agreed to offer his ADB visa card.
Prosecution said within the same period Larbi made Janet who is his girlfriend to open an account in her name with ADB at the Gulf House Branch with an amount of GH¢40.00.
Chief Inspector Haligah said after the account was opened Larbi collected Janet’s account details and her visa card with the explanation that a friend wanted to deposit money into her account for them.
He said Segbefia, Okumka, Larbi and Kemevor performed some fraudulent transaction on the accounts of Segbefia and Janet and on November 17, this year, and GH¢1,450,599.00 reflected in Segbefia’s account with the ADB Dansoman Branch, again, an amount of GH¢1,585,687.00 also reflected in Janet’s account ADB Gulf House Branch, Shiashie.
The Prosecution said on November 18, this year Segbefia went to the Dansoman Branch to verify the amount deposited in his account when the bank officials went through his account and realized that Segbefia had a huge balance in it without any corresponding cash deposit.
He said the bank officials further detected that a visa card was used to perform a fraudulent transaction on his account leading to the strange balance.
He said Segbefia was arrested and taken to the Dansoman Police where a complaint was lodged.
Chief Inspector Haligah said during interrogation, he mentioned Okumka and Larbi explaining that the two were coming to the bank on the same day to cash GH¢500,000.00.
The Prosecution said Segbefia was escorted to ADB Dansoman Branch where Okumka and Larbi were arrested for further investigations where they mentioned Kemevor as the one who performed the fraudulent transaction on the two accounts.
Prosecution said on November 20,this year, investigation led to the arrest of Janet and in addition at the ADB Dansoman Branch, it was found out that GH¢135,330.00 has been withdrawn from the account of Segbefia at Praha in the Czech Republic with Segbefia’s visa card.
He said earlier on October 3, this year, Kemevor also made Salifu to open account with the Achimota branch of the bank with GH¢42.00 for Kemevor to deposit an amount into that account.
Chief Inspector Haligah said Salifu after opening the account gave his details and visa card to Kemevor and on November 19, Salifu went to the Abeka-Lapaz branch of the bank to verify the amount deposited into his account but the Manager after checking found out of a balance of GH¢1,585,679.00 without any reference and cash deposit.
He said the Manager informed ADB’s Head Office which led to his arrest and at the same time Bress-Biney took Missodey’s ADB account details to conduct some transfers of cash from abroad to purchase some landed property.
He said within the same period, Bress-Biney informed Missodey that the transfer had been effected and his account credited, subsequently on November 25, Missodey and Bress-Biney went to ADB Madina branch with a cheque with face value of GH¢700,000.00 with the view to cash the amount.
He said the manager realized that the balance in the account was GH¢1,585,670.00 but there was no actual cash deposit made into the account.
He said Missodey and Bress-Biney were also arrested and in early November, Odoi-Baah and Addo met Kemevor and had some business investment discussion with him.
The prosecution said Kemevor on November 19, issued an ADB cheque with the face value GH¢600,000.00 to be withdrawn from his account at the Madina branch of ADB.
He said Odoi-Baah and Addo on the same day deposited the cheque for clearing but the cheque was found to be fraudulent and on November 22, Oddoi-Baah and Addo went to the Universal Merchant Bank at UPSA, Legon Branch to withdraw the money but were arrested.
Investigations revealed that on September 29 and October 17, this year, Kemevor used his visa card to transfer GH¢1,585,648.00 into his account and managed to withdraw GH¢126,473.41 dollar equivalent on an ATM in Russia.
Source: GNA