Kwame Osei Yeboah, an employee of the defunct uniBank who was absorbed into Consolidated Bank Ghana Limited (CBG), accused of illegally transferring GH₵11.2 million of depositors’ money to some microfinance companies, has been remanded into police custody by an Accra Circuit Court.
He is to reappear on December 4, 2018.
Presenting the facts to the court, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Nanegbe said until August 2018, the accused was a Relationship Officer at the defunct uniBank Ghana Limited.
He stated that the accused was stationed at the Kokomlemle head office branch of the bank, and his duties were mainly managing customers’ accounts.
According to him, Rita Agyekumwaa Mpiani, now a former staff of Unicredit Savings and Loans Company, allegedly assisted Yeboah to forge the signature of a customer called Adwoa Konadu to illegally withdraw money from the victim’s accounts.
The prosecutor noted that in January 2016, Konadu a businesswoman and a customer of Unicredit Savings and Loans Company, informed her Relationship Officer, Rita Agyekumwaa Mpiani, that she was no longer interested in keeping her investment with a non-bank financial institution.
DSP Nanegbe told the court that Rita Agyekumwaa Mpiani introduced Adwoa Konadu to Yeboah, a Relationship Officer of uniBank, a sister company of Unicredit.
Konadu agreed to move her investment to uniBank, and had an account opened for her by Yeboah.
According to the prosecutor, investigations revealed that when cheque books were issued by uniBank in the name of Konadu, Yeboah allegedly withheld one booklet, with serial number 000051-000100.
DSP Nanegbe stated that Yeboah mastered the signature of Konadu.
According to police investigations so far, Yeboah informed Konadu about the bank’s interest rate for fixed deposit, which was the only product of the bank available.
Konadu agreed and started moving her funds from other banks and other business resources into the fixed deposit account opened for her at uniBank.
The court heard that without the knowledge and consent of Konadu, Yeboah started forging the signature of Konadu in the cheque book he had kept.
Police investigations so far revealed that Rita Agyekumwaa Mpiani, in partnership with Yeboah allegedly forged signatures to move funds from the victim’s account and invested the funds with five different microfinance companies of their choice.
The prosecutor said investigations established that in January 2016, Yeboah, together with Rita Agyekumwaa Mpiani, withdrew GH₵2 million from the account of Konadu and invested same with one microfinance company.
The investment was for a period of six months at a rate of 27%.