Accountant on remand for stealing over GH₵500,000 from Buipe Polyclinic
The Tamale High Court has remanded in prison custody, the accountant of the Buipe Polyclinic in the capital of the Central Gonja District of the Savannah Region for allegedly stealing an amount of GH₵580,288.17 from the accounts of the polyclinic.
The accused, Osman Jamal Deen, 41, charged with three counts of stealing and forgery pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
He will reappear before the court presided over by Mr Justice Richard Kogyapwah on June 8, 2021 for the trial of the case to begin.
Osman made his first appearance, last Tuesday since he was arrested in April, last year and has since been on police enquiry bail.
Facts
Presenting the facts of the case, the Northern Regional Chief State Attorney, Mr Salia Abdul-Quddus, said the complainant in the case was the Medical Superintendent of Buipe Polyclinic, Dr Naizer Hussein, while the accused was an accountant at the Ghana Health Service who was posted to Buipe Polyclinic as the accountant of the facility.
According to the prosecutor, in March 2020, the complainant detected some anomalies in the financial administration of the facility after observing that the bankers of the facility had honoured cheques he (the complainant) did not sign.
He added that the complainant, after obtaining the facility's bank statement observed that the accused undertook many transactions without his knowledge, even though he was a co-signatory to the account.
In order to monitor the accounts, the Chief State Attorney, said the complainant requested the bank to place SMS alert on the accounts, which he subsequently received SMS alerts of cash withdrawals from the accounts, which he knew nothing about.
Mr Abdul-Quddus said the accused admitted forging the signature of the complainant to make the withdrawals from the facility's accounts, after he was arrested and investigated.
Accused admits
"The accused also admitted he did not deposit various sums of money being internally generated funds of the facility at the bank," the Chief State Attorney said.
He added that the accused further appeared before a fact finding committee, constituted by the Ghana Health Service (GHS), to look into the matter, and he admitted various acts he undertook to dishonestly appropriate various sums of money.
According to Mr Abdul-Quddus, the committee discovered that the accused dishonestly appropriated an amount of GH₵604, 626.12 from the facility's accounts.
In compliance with the rules of natural justice, according to the prosecutor, the accused was formally charged with various offences by the GHS and was invited to a disciplinary committee, where the accused admitted all the charges.
"A reconciliation of the various transactions undertaken by the accused was carried out which reduced the amount dishonestly appropriated by the accused from GH₵604, 626.12 to GH₵580, 288.17," the prosecutor added.
He said at the completion of investigations, the accused was charged with three counts of stealing and forgery and he was put before the court for trial.