An Accra High Court has sentenced a former staff of ABSA Bank, Emmanuel Sakyi Afriyie, to 10 years in prison for stealing GH¢1.2 million from the accounts of some staff.
The case had been in court since 2023 after he was arrested while trying to escape to Dubai with his girlfriend.
However, Cecil Nyamesem Agyarkwa, one of his accomplices, was acquitted and discharged of charges relating to his alleged involvement in the ABSA Bank theft.
Background
Emmanuel Sakyi Afriyie, a 25-year-old contract employee of one of Ghana’s biggest banks, Absa Bank, was arrested by security agencies for allegedly stealing about GH¢1.2 million from clients’ bank accounts.
Among the accounts he pilfered are those belonging to a deceased judge and a former Inspector General of Police.
Afriyie is reported to have transferred some of the stolen funds to his personal account in another bank, as well as to the accounts of his 17 accomplices across various banks and their mobile money accounts.
He is also accused of embarking on a spending spree with his loot, including using some of the funds to purchase an iPhone 14 Pro Max and a Toyota Camry.
According to the police investigation, the suspect planned to escape with his girlfriend to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates after purchasing an airline ticket.
However, luck was not on his side, as security authorities acted swiftly, leaving a trail that led to his arrest at Kotoka International Airport on June 4, 2023.
“On June 4, 2023, A1 together with his girlfriend Ivy Okertchiri, who stood as surety for him attempted to escape from the jurisdiction to Dubai, but he was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport by the Ghana Immigration Service and handed over to the police,” facts of the case as quoted by a report by the Chronicle Newspaper said.
According to reports, Afriyie allegedly obtained his boss’s password by discreetly recording her as she entered it on her mobile phone.
He then used the recorded clip to determine her password and proceeded to carry out fraudulent transactions from customers’ accounts over two months.
Some of his accomplices were later apprehended, brought before a court, and were remanded in custody before being granted bail.
Afriyie is facing several charges, including conspiracy and theft, along with some of his aides. He also faces additional charges of falsifying accounts and forging documents, bringing the total number of charges against him to 13. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
SSD/KA
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