Nigerian busted for fraudulent transfers at GCB

A Nigerian has been arrested for fraudulently transferring Ghc250,000 from the Ghana Commercial Bank.

Tony Abogo, a resident at Lashibi near Tema is suspected to be part of a syndicate that was fraudulently transferring monies into certain accounts with various branches of the Bank.

The accused, who is in police custody after an Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Mr Francis Obiri, had him remanded, allegedly transferred the money into his girlfriend’s account in December 2013, according to Prosecutor Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) A. Dery.

He has been charged with conspiracy to steal and stealing.

Abogo pleaded not guilty before the court on Friday. He will reappear on February 5, 2014.

The case was first reported to the Police by the manager of the Spintex road branch of the bank in Accra.

Abogo’s girlfriend, was arrested on December 24, 2013 as she tried withdrawing Ghc2,000 from the fraudulently transferred money in her account.

She confessed that her boyfriend was responsible for the transfer and helped the Police to arrest Abogo.

The accused during his interrogation named a certain Wale, alias FBI, as the person who gave him the account details at the bank.

XYZ News reported about a month ago that the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) had frozen five accounts at the bank and was investigation fraudulent wiring of funds from the bank into those accounts.

The accounts belonged to two individuals and two different companies – Mr Akato Haizel (two separate accounts), Matilda Dankwa Adjoa, B J Net Company Ltd and Osuaka Ventures.

A letter signed by the Executive Director of EOCO, dated December 27, 2013 and sent to the Managing Director of GCB at the Bank’s Head Office in Accra and copied to the Head of Banking Supervision at the Central Bank, ordered the immediate freezing of the five accounts.

The letter said: “Please take notice that pursuant to the authority conferred on the Executive Director by section 33 of the Economic and Organised Crimes Office Act 2010 (act 804), the Executive Director of EOCO has directed the freezing of the bank account of [Akato Haizel, Matilda Dankwa Adjoa, B J Net Company ltd and Osuaka Ventures] with your branches pending investigations into various crimes.”

“This order takes immediate effect. Until this order is revoked or elapsed, your bank shall not allow any transactions on the account without the written authority of the Executive Director.”

The operation was allegedly coordinated with the connivance of the bank’s IT department.