Hajia Ocansey’s Trial

Evidence tendered before an Accra Regional tribunal where Hajia Baby Ocansey is standing trial in the $1.5 million Bank of Ghana (BOG) scandal indicates that the bank had already taken punitive action against the former Assistant Manager, Mrs Dorothy Nyarko, who prepared a schedule for the payment of the said amount, ahead of judgement.

According to a report from a committee instituted by the Bank of Ghana to look into the alleged scandal, Mrs Nyarko, having worked with the bank for 27 years rising through the ranks from the position of a clerk, has been demoted to the rank of an Officer 2 of the bank as a result of her negligence in the issuing of the $1.5 million to the recipient.

Mrs Nyarko, who is also the fifth prosecution witness, completing her evidence in chief under cross-examination, told the tribunal presided over by His Lordship, Isaac Duose, that the committee’s report demoting her as a result of her negligence does not hold.

According to her, she received a swift message ordering for the release of the said amount after she had earlier had a conversation with the second accused, Mr Sebastian D.K.N. Gavor, that the money was intended to import rice from Togo. Because the source of the supposed message for the release of money was doubtful, Mrs Nyarko contended that her boss, Mrs Caroline Kese, refused to sign the cheque until she had approval from her boss.

The matter was later put to rest as both Mrs Nyarko and Mrs Kese eventually signed the cheque for the release of the money. In this respect, Mrs Nyarko held that the action taken by both of them in respect of appending their signatures on the said document for the payment of the money was done in good faith.

Mrs Nyarko further told the court that she was not satisfied with the confirmation of credit but still went ahead to prepare a schedule for the payment of the cheque with the face value of $1.5 million without any pressure whatsoever being mounted on her by the second accused, nor by the third accused, Justice Archibald Nee Ofosu Larbi, who was not notified prior to the payment of the cheque.

Subsequently, Mrs Nyarko, whose responsibility was to send the cheque for clearing, making sure the cheque was endorsed by the beneficiary, upon taking a second look at an exhibit shown her, told the court that the said money was received by Hajia Amina Abubakari-Sadiq, alias Baby Ocansey, contrary to an earlier statement she made before the court that the money was received by the first and the second accused.

The sixth prosecution witness, Samuel Tackie-Yarboi, a messenger at the bank, whose duty is to dispatch official transactions from the manager, Mr Philip Djan, who at the time, was a Deputy Chief Manager at the bank, told the court that a document tendered before the court indicating the exact transaction on the said case was not the right document because it had no minute on it.

According to him, every document he dispatches has a sign indicating that it has been duly dispatched to the right person, adding that on the said date, December 7, 1999, he dispatched a swift message to Mrs Kese’s office.

Hajia Baby Ocansey is alleged to have conspired with Sebastian Dick Kobla Gavor and Justice Archibald Nee Ofosu Larbie of the BOG the cause financial loss to the state to the tune of $1.5 million. They pleaded guilty to the charges with cases adjourned to 19 May 2002.