Four more individuals who were implicated as suspects in the alleged conspiracy to steal GH¢1.2 million from customers’ accounts, appeared in an Accra Circuit Court today.
They are Nicholas Nii Sai, Nana Kwesi Gyimah, Joseph Anim, and Othniel Amakwah Darkwah.
The court did not take their pleas during the hearing, but they were granted bail and instructed to reappear on June 29, 2023.
The case investigators are currently continuing their investigations into the matter.
With the addition of these four suspects, the total number of alleged accomplices who have reported to the police has reached 12.
They are accused of conspiring with Emmanuel Sakyi Afriyie, a former bank employee and the lead accused person, in unlawfully withdrawing funds from customers’ accounts without their consent.
Notably, the affected accounts include those of a deceased Inspector General of Police and a deceased judge.
Afriyie, who allegedly used customers’ user identities and passwords for the unauthorized transactions, transferred the stolen funds to the accounts of his alleged accomplices, as per state prosecutors.
He has been charged with conspiracy, along with the other accomplices, and faces an additional 12 counts of stealing.
During the court session on June 26, 2023, the pleas of the newly arraigned suspects were not taken as the prosecution requested more time to modify the charge sheet.
The suspects are scheduled to appear in court again on June 29, 2023.
The case unfolded when it was discovered that Afriyie, while working as a contract staff member at the bank, made a payment of $174.30 (equivalent to GH¢2,287.69) for an online coding course using a customer’s Visa card.
Suspicions grew further when Afriyie swiftly tendered his resignation letter, effective May 31, 2023.
The subsequent investigation revealed a series of unauthorized actions, including accessing colleagues’ user IDs and passwords to manipulate customer accounts and transferring substantial amounts of money to various individuals’ accounts.
The investigators are still pursuing four other suspects in relation to the case.
Afriyie was arrested at Kotoka International Airport on June 4, 2023, while attempting to flee to Dubai with the assistance of his girlfriend, who acted as his surety.
The Ghana Immigration Service apprehended him and handed him over to the police.