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In a courtroom before the Adentan Circuit Court, a 36-year-old Susu Operator named Gabriel Tsianie Tetteh found himself facing serious allegations of financial misconduct. Tetteh stood accused of misappropriating an enormous sum of GH₵ 995,338, which belonged to his employers.
The charges against Tetteh included two counts of forgery, stealing, and defrauding by false pretense. Despite the weight of the accusations, Tetteh maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings. Presiding over the case was Judge Sedinam Awo Balokah, who granted bail to Tetteh in the amount of GH₵ 1.5 million. The bail required four sureties, two of which needed to be justified.
Presenting the prosecution’s case was Police Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo. According to the prosecution, the complainant, a respected businessman residing in Ogbojo, was not only the owner and director of several enterprises but also the victim in this matter. Among the businesses owned by the complainant were Universal Susu, Universal Ice, Front Street Properties, and Universal Rock Builders.
The events leading to the accusations began in March 2021 when Tetteh was employed as the marketing manager for Front Street Properties, a company specializing in land business. His responsibilities included advertising and issuing receipts to customers who purchased and paid for parcels of land. The prosecution asserted that Tetteh performed his duties diligently, and his performance led to a promotion as the General Manager of Universal Rock Builders, another company owned by the complainant. Tetteh also assumed the role of Public Relations Officer for the entire group of companies.
As time went on, the complainant instructed Tetteh to transfer all receipt booklets in his possession to the new marketing manager and manageress of Front Street Properties. Following the instructions, Tetteh handed over most of the booklets, but deceitfully retained two serial receipt booklets and even printed four unauthorized receipt booklets bearing the Front Street Properties name. He then proceeded to issue these counterfeit receipts to unsuspecting customers who had made payments to him personally, rather than the company.
In August 2022, Tetteh decided to resign from the company. Before leaving, he returned some of the receipt booklets he had kept, which he had been using to collect payments from customers who were yet to complete their land purchases. However, he continued to withhold the funds collected from these customers for himself.
On December 31, 2022, the complainant instructed all staff members to submit their receipt booklets and instructed them not to accept any money from customers without his explicit authorization. During the review of the receipt books, the complainant discovered that two booklets lacked serial numbers, unlike the others. Upon further investigation, it became clear that these irregular booklets were issued by Tetteh himself.
Moreover, it was revealed that Tetteh had forged some of the indentures by signing them instead of obtaining thumbprints as required. This discovery prompted the complainant to take immediate action, resulting in the arrest of Tetteh. Two receipt booklets, one with serial numbers and one without, were recovered from the accused.
A subsequent audit conducted by the authorities revealed the staggering amount of GH₵ 995,338.97 that Tetteh had embezzled. When questioned by the police, Tetteh admitted to the offense, claiming that the complainant had instructed him to thumbprint certain documents and issue receipt booklets to customers, even though he had already resigned from the company.
As the trial proceeded, the court would weigh the evidence and testimonies presented to determine Tetteh’s guilt or innocence regarding the grave accusations of financial impropriety.
