Ex-Salesman in court over GH¢180,000 fraud

Page 3: Daily Graphic, June 25, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A former salesman/private dispatch rider, Dominic Anabiga, who allegedly conspired with the Financial Controller of Qualiplast to steal about GH¢180,000 belonging to the company, has been arrested.
However, the financial controller, Vasu Dev Chatlur, is now at large.
A number of properties believed to have been acquired by Anabiga with the money he allegedly stole have also been recovered.
The properties are two uncompleted buildings at Pokuase, a taxi cab, with registration number GR9818 Z; a Nissan Urvan bus, GR 7571-09; a Honda Motorbike, M-09-GR2672; two Samsung plasma television sets, two Samsung DVD players, two Crown Star television stands, a computer and its accessories, a swivel chair and a scientific calculator.
Two persons, Musa Zakari and Osman Musah, who are the caretakers of the properties have also been arrested.
The Daily Graphic, in its May 25, 2009 issue, published the picture of Anabiga as having been declared wanted by the Organised Crime Unit (OCU) of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
Briefing the Daily Graphic yesterday, the Director of the OCU, Superintendent Sarfo Agyemang, said on May 12, 2009, the sales manager of the company gave GH¢8,000 to Anabiga to deposit in the company’s account at a bank but the suspect failed to return to work after he had left the premises of the company.
He said the company decided to cross-check with its bankers and it was detected that Anabiga had not deposited the money into the account.
According to Supt Agyemang, further checks revealed that Anabiga had failed to deposit all the money that had been given to him to deposit in the accounts between February 13, 2009 and May 12, 2009.
He said a scrutiny of the pay-in slips showed that Anabiga had stamped the slips with fake bank stamps and also forged a signature claiming it to be that of a bank official and presented them to the company.
He said the financial controller and the sales manager were invited to the OCU to assist in investigations but they were granted police enquiry bail.
Supt Agyemang said Vasu abandoned his post and fled the country but a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
He said investigations later revealed that Anabiga was staying with either Zakari or Musah and that the items believed to have been acquired by him had been given to them for safe keeping.
According to him, Anabiga, Zakari and Musah were later arrested at their hideout at Adukrom in Kumasi on June 2, 2009.
Supt Agyemang said it was also detected that suspects Zakari and Musah had in their possession the items purchased by Anabiga and that they also used their photographs, names and addresses to register the vehicles to cover up for Anabiga.
He said Anabiga allegedly admitted committing the offence and explained that it had been initiated by the sales manager, Hayssam Minkara, who allegedly procured the fake bank rubber stamp and also forged the signature of the bank’s official.
He said Anabiga claimed that Hayssam had allegedly given him a share of the money at the end of each transaction.
Supt Agyemang said Hayssam had denied the allegations.