Court grants I.T technician GH¢1.2 million bail

An Accra Circuit Court on Wednesday granted bail in the sum of GH¢1.2 million with four sureties to an I.T expert for allegedly stealing GH¢1.29 million 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.