An Accra Circuit Court has granted bail to a lottery agent and writer in connection with an alleged theft of GH143,154.00 through account falsification.
Samuel Asante Arthur, 51, a lottery agent, was granted a GH120,000.00 bail with four sureties, all of whom must be immediate family members, while Abigail Serwaa Appiah, 32, a lotto writer, was granted a GH80,000.00 bail with three sureties, all of whom must be related relatives.
Mrs Susanna Eduful, the Court’s presider, ordered that Arthur and Abigail, the accused people, report to the Police on Mondays unless otherwise instructed by the Court.
They will appear before the Court again on December 22, 2022.
Mr Joseph Gyapong, the complainant, was a lottery agent of Alpha Lotto Company Limited, residing in Kokomlemle, Accra, according to Police Chief Inspector Samuel Ahiabor.
He said Arthur was also a lottery agent for the same company, operating under the complainant’s supervision.
Chief Inspector Ahiabor stated Arthur was also in charge of obtaining lottery booklets/tickets from other lotto writers before the winning numbers were announced.
The Prosecutor stated that Abigail was a lottery writer residing in Labadi, Accra and that Arthur had hired her to work for the same organization without the complainant’s knowledge.
According to the prosecution, sometime in April 2022, Arthur discussed with Abigail that he was indebted to many people and that he wanted her to help him by writing fraudulent winning tickets to him whenever winning numbers were mentioned after the close of the lotto so that he could present them to the complainant as if they were staked at the normal time of writing lotto to customers.
He stated that on April 20, 2022, Abigail created a winning ticket for GH2.50, resulting in a winning price of GH600.00, which Arthur gave to the complainant for payment.
According to Chief Inspector Ahiabor, Arthur and Abigail manufactured and presented bogus winning tickets totaling GH20,000.00 on many occasions, and the money was given to Arthur, who divided it with Abigail.
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Again, the Court heard that between April and March 2022, Arthur took advantage of his position and forged the pay list (weekly statement form) of credible Alpha Lotto winners in order to pay himself GH143,154.00.
During the company’s annual accounting/financial period, a theft of GHS143,154.00 was discovered; as a consequence, Arthur was audited, and he acknowledged taking GH143,154.00 by fabricating the company’s account.
The prosecution also said Arthur, repaid GH15,000.00 to the complainant and requested more time to pay the remaining sum of GH121,800.00, but failed to keep his word and went into hiding.
He stated that on November 10, 2022, the complainant filed an official complaint with the Police, which resulted in their arrest.
During the course of the inquiry, the accused acknowledged the offenses in their individual investigation cautious statements.
According to police, more time was needed for additional investigation, thus the accused people’s pleas were not taken.
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