Woman Sentenced to 5 Years for Stealing GH₵81,060 from GCB Bank Customers

A 35-year-old caterer and hairdresser, Jessica Oforiwa, has been sentenced to five years in prison for her role in stealing GH₵81,060 from GCB Bank customers using cloned cheques. Oforiwa was convicted on seven charges, including abetment of crime and stealing, with the sentences running concurrently.

The court’s decision came after Oforiwa was found guilty of playing a key role in aiding her accomplices, who are still at large, in misappropriating funds from the bank. The prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Seth Frimpong, urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence due to the growing number of similar crimes, which are harming financial institutions and destabilizing the economy.

According to the prosecution, GCB Bank discovered in 2022 that eight cheques had been cloned from its customers’ accounts, resulting in a total withdrawal of GH₵81,060. The victims included Rejoice Emekor Senezah, who had GH₵12,000 stolen from her account, and Felcon Electrical Enterprise, who lost GH₵47,460.

Investigations revealed that the cloned cheques had been issued to Oforiwa’s company, Jesnat Cook Company. Oforiwa and her accomplices used chemical methods to erase account details and signatures on the original cheques, making them appear legitimate to the bank. The group’s fraudulent activity included several successful withdrawals, with Oforiwa admitting to using the Jesnat Cook cheques to steal GH₵81,060.

The judge, in delivering the verdict, emphasized the importance of safeguarding shareholder and depositor interests to maintain public trust. The court also urged financial institutions to strengthen their ICT systems and train staff, particularly tellers, to scrutinize cheques and other financial instruments thoroughly to prevent such fraud.

Oforiwa’s accomplices, Dawda Sawdido, Mohammed Muktar, Fuseini Saeed Ibrahim, Felix Mensah, Lawrence Quarshie, and Philip Ansah, are still at large.