A 36-year-old Susu Operator accused of misappropriating GH₵ 995,338 belonging to his employers has made an appearance before the Adentan Circuit Court.
Gabriel Tsianie Tetteh is facing charges of forgery of other documents, stealing, and defrauding by false pretense.
Tetteh has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and presiding Judge Mrs. Sedinam Awo Balokah has granted him bail in the amount of GH₵ 1.5 million with four sureties, two of whom must be justified.
According to the prosecution, led by Police Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, the complainant, whose identity has been withheld, is a businessman residing in Ogbojo. The complainant is also the owner and director of multiple companies, including Universal Susu, Universal Ice, Front Street Properties, and Universal Rock Builders.
In March 2021, the complainant hired Tetteh as the marketing manager for his company, Front Street Properties, which specializes in the land business.
The prosecution stated that Tetteh’s responsibilities included advertising and issuing receipts to customers who purchased and made payments for parcels of land.
The prosecution stated that the accused individual carried out his duties diligently and was subsequently promoted to the position of General Manager at Universal Rock Builders Company, one of the complainant’s owned companies specializing in house construction for clients.
Prosecution further explained that Tetteh also assumed the role of Public Relations Officer for the group of companies.
The complainant had instructed Tetteh to transfer all the receipt booklets he possessed to the new Marketing Manager and Manageress of Front Street Properties.
Prosecution said Tetteh handed over as directed but kept “two serial receipts booklets and also printed four un- serial receipt booklets bearing the Front Street properties names and issuing same to prospective customers who had made payments to the accused person.”
It said Tetteh gave his personal account to some of the customers instead of the company account and they made various payment into it.
The prosecution said during the month of August 2022, the accused person resigned from the company and handed over some receipt booklets which he had kept and was still issuing to customers who had not finished paying for their land.
It said the accused person continued to keep the money he had collected from those customers.
On December 31, 2022, the complainant asked all his staff to bring their receipts in their possession to him and asked them not to receive any money from customers until he directed them to do so.
It said when the complainant went through the receipt books, he saw that two receipt booklets did not have serial numbers like the others.
Prosecution said the complainant found out that the receipt booklets without serial numbers were issued by the accused person.
It said indentures issued to some of the customers had been forged by way of signing instead of thumb printing them.
According to the prosecutor, the complainant caused the arrest of the accused person and two serial and un serial receipt booklets were retrieved from him.
When an audit was conducted, it came to light that Tetteh has embezzled GH₵ 995, 338.97.
Prosecution said when the accused person was cautioned by the Police, he admitted the offence and stated that it was the complainant who asked him to thumb print some of the documents and the receipt booklets and issue them to customers although he had resigned from the company.