The Tema Circuit Court ”B” has sentenced a banker to twelve years in jail for sealing.
The convict, Prince Sam Essuman, a staff of Ecobank Ghana Ltd, was found guilty of nine counts of sealing.
He suppressed money belonging to SIC Ltd and other customers of the bank.
According to the prosecutor; DSP Asamani, the modus operandi of the convict was to receive money and deposit slips from the affected customers, stamp the deposit slips and return a copy to the customers.
He, however, would fail to credit the bank accounts of the customers and also destroy the bank’s copy of the deposit slip thereby preventing the bank from knowing that any money had been deposited.
It is only when the customers reconcile their accounts that they would realize the theft. The judge, Her Lordship, Mrs. Bertha Anin-Agyei in sentencing the convict noted that according to the Bank of Ghana fraud report, there is an increase in bank fraud and most times, it is the staff who are culprits or who aid others to commit such crimes.
The Courts must hand down a deterrent sentence in order to deter other bankers from engaging in such crimes and also maintain public confidence in the banking sector since banks are essential for the G.D.P growth of a country.
The convict was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment on each of the nine counts and the terms are to run concurrently.
