Meet Martha Amakye and Emmanuel Sakyi Afriyie, former employees of Stanbic and Absa banks in Ghana respectively, who were involved in a major financial scandal.
Martha Amakye, currently 39 years old, was 34 when she was convicted and sentenced to 8 years in prison for defrauding customers of Stanbic bank Limited. Over a period of one year between 2015 and 2016, Martha deceived 246 bank customers by promising them high interest rates on fake fixed deposit investments. She managed to defraud them of a total of GHc1.8 million. Although she initially pleaded not guilty to 31 counts of defrauding by false pretense, the court found her guilty based on the prosecution's strong evidence.
Now, five years after Martha's arrest and conviction, Emmanuel Sakyi Afriyie has also been implicated in a similar money theft scheme. Emmanuel managed to steal GHc1.2 million within a month. He transferred some of the funds to other bank accounts and mobile money wallets over a two-month period. Unlike Martha, Emmanuel had the assistance of several accomplices, some of whom have been apprehended, while eleven others are currently evading arrest. The funds he embezzled belonged to various customers, including a deceased Inspector General of Police and a deceased judge.
Emmanuel utilized portions of the stolen money to purchase a car, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and plane tickets. Driven by love, he intended to travel with his girlfriend to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates but was unlucky. The police, who had been monitoring their activities, apprehended both Emmanuel and his girlfriend at Kotoka International Airport.
Martha confessed to her GHc1.8 million fraud, while Emmanuel has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Emmanuel Sakyi Afriyie is facing 13 charges related to theft, conspiracy, forgery of documents, and falsification of accounts, along with some of his accomplices. If found guilty, he could face a minimum of 5 years in prison.
Martha is scheduled for release in 2026, while Emmanuel will remain incarcerated. Emmanuel Sakyi Afriyie is expected to appear in court again on Friday, June 16, 2023.