A relationship manager at a private Ghana bank has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court over allegations that he syphoned GH¢12 million from a client’s accounts, with investigators also claiming that part of the funds was channeled into gambling.
The accused, Christopher Arthur, managed the accounts of a businessman at the bank’s Haatso branch. He was charged with stealing and pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned before His Honour Eyram Fumey. Despite the gravity of the allegations, the court admitted him to bail in the sum of GH¢12 million with four sureties, three of whom must be justified.
The prosecution did not oppose the bail application made by the defense counsel, led by Samuel Laryea. The case has been adjourned to May 26, 2026, for a Case Management Conference. The court directed prosecutors to file all disclosures ahead of the next hearing. According to Chief Inspector Jonas Larwer, the complainant, a businessman, opened three accounts at the bank in 2023 for his company, C.T and C Limited.
The accounts were placed under the management of Arthur. Investigators say issues began in January 2026, when the complainant detected irregularities in the accounts and raised concerns with Arthur. Subsequent checks reportedly showed that a total of GH¢12 million had been misappropriated.
Prosecutors further allege that when Arthur was confronted on March 8, 2026, he attempted to mislead the complainant by generating a forged internal bank statement to conceal the discrepancies, but the document was later discovered to be falsified.
Police claim that after sensing he would be exposed, Arthur admitted to the wrongdoing and made partial repayments, refunding GH¢94,000 in cash, followed by an additional GH¢1,195,900 four days later. The matter was reported to police at Baatsonaa on March 25, leading to Arthur’s arrest. Investigations have also uncovered that part of the stolen funds, amounting to GH¢600,000, was spent on the online betting platform SportyBet.
Police further allege that the scheme dates back to April 2025 and involved accomplices, including individuals identified as Gyamfua Obaayaa and Abigail Thelma, believed to be based in Kumasi. Authorities claim that through accounts linked to these individuals, including accounts at UBA and Stanbic Bank, sums totalling over GH¢846,000 were allegedly syphoned from the complainant’s funds.
Investigators say they have retrieved several assets believed to be proceeds of the crime, including a Toyota Corolla, a Hyundai Elantra, an Apple laptop, and GH¢481,800 in cash. They also allege that additional suspicious withdrawals totalling about GH¢7.5 million were traced through accounts held at Access Bank and another bank under the name Adafia Caeser Shadrack.
Police state that efforts are ongoing to secure court orders to access further banking records and to apprehend other suspects connected to the alleged scheme. The case remains under active investigation.
