An Adentan Circuit Court has sentenced a 29-year-old mobile banker, Grace Addy, to six years imprisonment for embezzling GH¢162,700 belonging to customers of an undisclosed Rural Bank.
The sentence follows an audit conducted by the bank, revealing Grace's misappropriation of funds for personal use and international travel.
Grace, charged with forgery of documents and two counts of stealing, pleaded guilty to the charges.
The court, presided over by Mrs. Sedinam Awo Balokah, sentenced Grace to two years imprisonment for forgery, three years for stealing GH¢20,000 belonging to a customer, and six years for stealing GH¢142,700. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Chief Inspector A. Fosu, leading the prosecution, stated that Grace, as an employee of the Rural Bank in Madina, collected customers' money directly at their residences and workplaces.
An audit conducted on December 27, 2023, uncovered the embezzlement of GH¢142,700, funds collected from customers but not accounted for by Grace.
The investigation revealed that between January 2023 and December 21, 2023, Grace collected money from customers but failed to deposit it with the bank. Instead, she transferred the funds to other mobile money numbers for personal use.
During the same period, Grace forged receipts of payment to a customer named Salifu Alhassan, increasing the issued GH¢20,000 to GH¢40,000 before handing it over to the customer. The forgery created a false belief that she had paid GH¢40,000 to the bank.
Grace voluntarily admitted to the Police that she stole a total of GH¢162,700, claiming she gave the money to a person named Hamisu at Libya Quarters, Madina, to process travel documents for her.
However, she failed to lead the Police to the three men she initially mentioned who allegedly charged her $16,000 for facilitating her travel abroad.
In her charge statement, Grace mentioned her intention to repay the customers after arriving abroad.