A circuit court in Ghana has sentenced a 24-year-old sales agent to 7 years in prison after he admitted to squandering GH¢75,895.00 (nearly $5,000) belonging to his employer on sports betting.
According to Graphic Online, Kelvin Ofori Sakyi was handed the punishment after he entered a guilty plea. Sakyi was said to be employed as a sales agent for a cold store in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality.
During his trial, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Joyce Odame testified that the manager of the cold store, identified as Priscilla Aidoo, was the complainant.
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ASP Odame said that whenever it was time for Sakyi to account for whatever had been bought from the cold store after close of work, the manager realized there was a discrepancy. But Sakyi claimed the items had been purchased on credit by the customers.
The prosecutor stated that an audit was ultimately initiated to investigate Sakyi’s claims. The customers involved in that financial examination included those that the convicted man pinpointed as the company’s debtors or the ones who had settled their debts to him in cash and through mobile money.
The audit established that Sakyi failed to match GH¢75,895.00 (nearly $5,000) in sales of frozen goods the company had stocked under his care between October and November 2024.
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The 24-year-old was ultimately arrested after a complaint was officially made. An investigation into his actions determined that he primarily staked football bets with the unaccounted money, Graphic Online reported.
A history of Sakyi’s mobile money transactions determined that he channeled GH¢75,173.00 (nearly $5,000) into sports betting, the prosecution said. The convicted man also admitted to using the funds for those puposes.
In September 2024, Face2Face Africa reported that an accountant was handed a two-year prison sentence after he admitted to using money belonging to the Ghana Police Church to play Aviator – an online betting game.
Per MyJoyOnline, the convicted man, identified as 32-year-old Edward Unicorn, is said to have stolen over $2,000 to play the betting game. Unicorn admitted to using the stolen funds for the aforementioned purpose and asked the court to release him on bail to enable him to work and reimburse the church.
