Three dragged to court for embezzlement

Accra, March 16, GNA - Three persons accused of stealing a total amount of 656 million cedis, the property of Dayspring Montessori International School at Dansoman on Tuesday appeared before an Accra Circuit Court. Constance Eli, Teacher, David Eli, Social Worker and Leticia Melomey, Secretary, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit crime and stealing.

Constance and David were admitted to 800 million cedis bail each with two sureties to be justified.

Leticia was also granted 800 million cedis with two sureties. They are to reappear on April 16.

The facts presented before Mrs Elizabeth Ankumah were that the complainant in the case was a Director/ Shareholder of Dayspring Montessori School at Dansoman in Accra.

Constance was the Headmistress of the school from September 1995 to July 2003 and also a wife to David; the second accused person while Leticia was a Secretary of the school.

The Prosecution said Constance appointed Leticia as Financial Secretary without the authority of the Directors/Shareholders.

The Prosecution said before Constance resigned from her post as the Headmistress of the school in July 2003, the Complainant detected that she had opened a second account in the name of the school, at the Agricultural Development Bank, Dansoman, as a Director of the school, a position she had never held.

She instructed Leticia to pay monies belonging to the school into that account.

The Prosecution said the complainant and his colleagues again detected that Constance and David had jointly opened a second account in the name of the school as Co-Directors at the Standard Chartered Bank for similar purposes.

The two used the monies paid into those secret accounts for purpose best known to them.

The Prosecution said the Complainant and other directors could not also trace textbooks, files on the pupils and teachers and, therefore, asked Constance to write a report on her stewardship but she failed to do so. During Police investigations 3,901 assorted books were retrieved from a house at Sakaman in Accra and from the office of Constance at Eagle Nest Montessori School at Dansoman.

The Prosecution said the books had stamps of the Complainant's school and a bag containing a number of new and old exercise books were found. Five bags containing assorted files on pupils were also retrieved.