Manager jailed 15 years for squandering company’s funds on betting

A mother broke into uncontrollable tears at the Hohoe Circuit Court last Wednesday when her son, a 31-year-old fuel station supervisor, was handed a 15-year jail term for stealing.

Yussif Abubakar, a former worker of the Hohoe branch of Star Oil Company was sentenced for stealing GH¢139,118 belonging to his employer.

His mother, seemingly broken by the development, needed physical support as she made her way out of the court room wailing.

Abubakar was charged with stealing about two years ago.

He pleaded not guilty but was found guilty by the court after the full trial.

The trial judge, Mr Yaw Opoku Acheampong, in a 30-minute sentence said he would have sentenced him to 20 years imprisonment but the convict, throughout the trial showed remorse for his action.

Abubakar, whose lawyer was not present in court when judgement was pronounced, was also ordered to pay back the money to the company.

He is said to have used the money for sports betting but did not win any of the bets to enable him repay the money he took from the company's coffers.

Facts

Presenting the facts of the case, the prosecution indicated that the convict was employed at Star Oil Company in Hohoe on November 17, 2012 as a washing bay manager and a pump attendant before rising through the ranks to become a branch supervisor for the same company on March 3, 2018.

According to the prosecution, on November 19, 2019, Abubakar was asked by the company's Relationship Officer, Mr Setor Alorwu, to produce receipts of payment of sales made from November 11, 2019, to November 19, 2019, but he failed to do so.

This raised a suspicion of discrepancies in his accounts at the company.

A report was then lodged at the Hohoe Police Station on November 19, 2019 which led to Abubakar's detention.

An audit was subsequently conducted into the company's accounts which revealed that proceeds from sales to the tune of GH¢139,118 made from November 8-19, 2019, were missing from the sales records.

Abubakar, when questioned on the whereabouts of the money, admitted his inability to deposit the money into the company's account and said he used the money for sports betting.