By Gifty
Amofa, GNA
Accra, Sept. 12, GNA – An Accra Circuit Court
on Wednesday granted bail in the sum of GH¢1.2million with four sureties to an
I.T expert for allegedly stealing GH¢1.29million from Global Access Savings and
Loans, his former employer.
Afum Larbi is also standing trial for money
laundering and he has since denied the two charges.
He will re-appear on September 19.
Superintendent of Police, Emelia Asante told
the Court presided by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh that the prosecution witness is the
Head of the Compliance Unit of the Global Access Savings and Loans located in
Accra whilst Larbi was a former employee in charge of E-zwich.
She said on October 11, 2016, the accused
person, a resident of Adenta in Accra, resigned and joined the Golden Link
Savings and Loans.
In February 2017, it came out that transaction
cards of Alfred Adankwa and Junior Tetteh; customers of the financial
institution, had been used to perform illegal transactions without the
knowledge of management to steal GH¢1,291,312.00.
The Prosecution said this led to his arrest.
In his caution statement, Larbi confessed
investing part of the money in a tile and cement business, in addition to a
plot of land he bought.
Superintendent Asante prayed the Court to
remand the accused person in police custody to enable her study the case as the
docket was handed over to her on the day the accused was arraigned.
Larbi also tried absconding when he was
granted police enquiry bail, she revealed, adding that Larbi was arrested on
Tuesday, September 11, at the Airport.
He did not fulfil the conditions of the bail
by police and attempted to abscond without police permission, hence, the need
to remand him during trial, she told the Court.
His counsel in pleading for bail said his
client was arrested in March, this year, and that had caused him to lose his
job in China as a businessman.
The Counsel said it would be a punishment to
remand the accused person as he had been reporting to the police since his
arrest, saying, he was only travelling because he did not know when the case
was going to be sent to court.
He told the Court that no law says that a
person cannot travel when he is standing trial. He also would not run away from
his family and business as well as having men of substance to stand surety for
him, he stated.
The Court also found out that the police had
seized Larbi’s passport.
GNA