By Isaac
Arkoh, GNA
Cape coast, July 20, GNA – A teacher who
falsified the signature of St Luke Catholic Hospital at Apam and unlawfully
withdrew GH¢14,500.00 from its account at Gomoa Community Bank has been jailed
one-year in hard labour by a Circuit Court in Cape Coast.
Prince Kofi Selby, 32 denied the charges of
stealing and forgery and pleaded not guilty was found guilty by the court after
months of trial.
The Court presided over by Mrs Afia Nyarko
Adu-Amankwah in addition, ordered the convict to refund the stolen amount.
Prosecuting, Senior State Attorney, Vincent
Nyinaku told the court that one Dr. Frank Odame, Medical Director at the
hospital and Mr Emmanuel Bosompim, the Administrator are the complainants.
The hospital operates an account at the Gomoa
Community Bank where the convict also has an account.
The Medical Doctor, the Nurse Manager and the
Accountant are the signatories to the hospital’s account and two of the
signatories could sign for withdrawal at any time.
The Prosecution said on Friday, March 9, 2018,
the hospital requested the financial statement of their account and realised
there had been separate unauthorised withdrawals from it.
It was detected that two withdrawals of GH¢4,800.00
and GH¢4980.00 were made on Saturday, March 3, 2016, while GH¢4,820.00 was also
withdrawn.
Further checks by the hospital authorities
revealed that the two signatures on the cheques were not signed by any of the
three signatories despite its seeming likeness.
The hospital drew the attention of the police
and the bank to the unauthorised withdrawals in their accounts and while some
bank staff who were informed of the incident told the police they could
identify the convict.
Eventually, the convict was arrested at
Mankessim and some employees of the bank identified him as the one who produced
the unauthorised cheques and withdrew the monies.
A police search conducted in the covict’s room
recovered two Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) deposit slips, one loan
acceptance letter to Akatakyiman Rural Bank and a Komenda College of Education
identity card.
Police forensic laboratory analysis of the
original cheques used for the withdrawal from the bank, loan acceptance letter
and the two deposit slips of ADB as well as the handwriting on the convict’s
personal documents were the same as that on the three checks used
for the withdrawal and he was charged with the offence, Mr Nyinaku
added.
GNA