EX-ECOBANK STAFF JAILED 10 YEARS (PAGE 35)

From Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi

The Takoradi Circuit Court has slapped a 10-year jail term on the former employee of the Takoradi branch of ECOBANK Ghana who bolted with GH¢43,000 he mobilised from two of the bank’s customers but failed to deposit it in their respective accounts.
Amidst uncontrollable tears in court, the convict, Prosper Kwame Amedior, apologised to the bank for the embarrassment and said “my Lord, I am guilty, please deal with me compassionately, I have embarrassed the bank, my family and I am guilty.
“Looking at the evidence in court, my Lord, I cannot deny that I am guilty. Please deal with me leniently,” he pleaded with the court.
He was charged on one count of stealing. Before passing judgement, the presiding judge, Mr K. Boakye described the convict’s conduct as most reprehensible and should be condemned by all.
The judge said but owing to the fact that most of the items he purchased with the stolen money had been retrieved, the court would have imposed a heavier sentence on him but since he (the convict) had showed remorse he should go for 10 years.
This followed the arrest of the convict who was then a temporary employee of the bank and was left with few days for his confirmation as a permanent staff when he bolted with customers’ money and went into hiding.
As part of his duties, he was to collect the weekly sales from companies that were unable to make it to the banking hall due to the volume of their sales and their schedules.
Presenting the facts of the case, the Principal State Attorney, Mr George Kpodo, representing the state, said on the day he bolted, he (Amedior) had returned to the banking hall but refused to deposit the amount mobilised into the accounts of the customers he had dealt with that day.
He also told his officials that there was power cut on the premises of the customers, therefore, there was no transaction.
Unknown to his employers, the prosecutor said, Amedior had collected GH¢38,450 from V-Mobile and GH¢4,520 from another customer totalling GH¢42,970.
Upon discovery of the fraudulent act, there was an immediate auditing of his transactions and it was discovered that Amedior failed to deposit an amount mobilised that day and his conduct was then reported to the police who sought for him until his arrest last June.
After his arrest, he admitted and told the police that he used a chunk of the money to purchase three vehicles, two saloon cars that he used for taxis and one cross country vehicle, as well as leased land for farming of which he had purchased some farm inputs, saying he wanted to go into farming.
Mr Kpodo and the police turned in the items as evidence in court. He (Amedior) has since been whisked to the Sekondi Prisons to begin his sentence.