A former contract staff of Absa Bank, Emmanuel Sakyi Afriyie, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for orchestrating a financial crime that saw over GH¢1.2 million stolen from bank customers.
The High Court in Accra found him guilty of multiple offenses, including fraudulent electronic fund transfer, stealing, unauthorized interference with electronic records, and money laundering.
Afriyie, who was 25 at the time of the crime in 2023, exploited customer Visa cards to siphon funds.
His scheme unraveled when he was arrested with his girlfriend at Kotoka International Airport on June 4, 2023, as they attempted to flee to Dubai. Despite pleading not guilty, he was convicted after a full trial.
The court, presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey, handed him various sentences: five years for fraudulent electronic fund transfer, 10 years for stealing, five years for unauthorized interference with electronic records, and additional five-year terms for money laundering.
However, the sentences will run concurrently, capping his prison term at 10 years with hard labour.
Meanwhile, his co-accused, student Cecil Nyamesem Agyarkwa, who was charged with conspiracy to steal, was acquitted and discharged due to insufficient evidence linking him to the crime.
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