A MEMBER of staff of the Tamale branch of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Agatha Kannae, has been charged with embezzling GH¢210,684, belonging to the Students Loan Trust Fund.
The accused pleaded not guilty to 60 counts of stealing and forgery when she appeared before an Accra High Court presided over by Justice John Ajet-Nasam on Friday.
She was granted a GH¢300,000 bail with two sureties, one to be justified.
Prosecuting, Ms Penny Manatha, Chief State Attorney, told the court that Kannae was the students Loan Officer of the SSNIT, Tamala.
She said in March last year, auditors from the SSNIT head office in Accra, audited the accounts of the students Loans Repayment Section in Tamale.
It was detected that a total of GH¢210,684.80, being students loan repayments made between January 2003 and March 2008 had been misappropriated by the accused.
The attention of the authorities was drawn to this and a report was made to the police, by the Tamale Area Manager of the SSNIT, leading to the arrest of the accused.
During investigations, it was discovered that the accused had forged some official receipts in the names of loan beneficiaries who had repaid their loans, after which she pocketed the money without the notice of the cashier.
When interrogated, Kannae admitted the offences and promised to refund the money, but having made a part payment of GH¢2,000 to the police, he failed to pay the rest.
The police therefore impounded an unregistered Mitsubishi Podeo vehicle which she had bough with part of the money.
The accused pleaded not guilty to 60 counts of stealing and forgery when she appeared before an Accra High Court presided over by Justice John Ajet-Nasam on Friday.
She was granted a GH¢300,000 bail with two sureties, one to be justified.
Prosecuting, Ms Penny Manatha, Chief State Attorney, told the court that Kannae was the students Loan Officer of the SSNIT, Tamala.
She said in March last year, auditors from the SSNIT head office in Accra, audited the accounts of the students Loans Repayment Section in Tamale.
It was detected that a total of GH¢210,684.80, being students loan repayments made between January 2003 and March 2008 had been misappropriated by the accused.
The attention of the authorities was drawn to this and a report was made to the police, by the Tamale Area Manager of the SSNIT, leading to the arrest of the accused.
During investigations, it was discovered that the accused had forged some official receipts in the names of loan beneficiaries who had repaid their loans, after which she pocketed the money without the notice of the cashier.
When interrogated, Kannae admitted the offences and promised to refund the money, but having made a part payment of GH¢2,000 to the police, he failed to pay the rest.
The police therefore impounded an unregistered Mitsubishi Podeo vehicle which she had bough with part of the money.
