Two salespersons jailed five years for stealing GH₵ 97k worth of goods

Two salespersons have been slapped with a five-year jail term by the Weija Circuit Court for stealing goods worth GH₵ 97, 207.55 in two years.

The convicts, Nathaniel Ekow Anderson and Patrick Semadege, are former salesmen at 2PA company at Gbawe in Accra.

The two are said to have collected goods amounting to GH₵ 16,089.89 and GH₵36,561.35 but failed to render account for the goods in December 2019.

They again stole GH₵13,332.23 and GH₵31,224.08 worth of goods in July 2020.

But failed to render account for the goods and had pleaded not guilty to charges of stealing.

Anderson was sentenced to two years in prison on each of the two charges of stealing while Semadege was also sentenced to three years in prison.

Both are to serve their jail terms concurrently.

Aside from the jail term, the court also ordered that they refund the entire money stolen to the complainant.

In sentencing the accused, the court presided over by Bernard Bentil said he had no choice but to convict the accused of theft on the strength of their admission.

The judge also said the accused persons were first-time offenders, thus the five years jail term.

Facts

Per the facts presented in court, the accused persons are former employees of the company, who acted in the capacity of salespersons as well as drivers.

In December 2019, the prosecution said the accused persons on their regular sales duty collected goods to the tune of GH₵16,089.89 and GH₵36,561.35.

Anderson and Semadebe then informed the complainants that the suppliers had not paid the amounts involved.

The prosecution narrated that when the complainants pressed them for further information, the accused persons provided non-existent phone numbers as contacts of suppliers.

The complainants, however, discovered after investigations that the two had been paid the amounts in full by the suppliers, which they had misappropriated.

A report was made to the police, and the two were arrested.

The accused persons pleaded with the first complainant Patricia Acquaye Pappoe, the company owner, to continue working in the company, to offset their debt, to which she agreed.

However, on July 26, 2020, the complainants discovered that the accused persons had stolen goods worth GH₵13,332.23 and GH₵31,224.08 from the warehouse again.

The matter was reported to the police, which led to the arrest of the accused persons.

They admitted to the offence and were subsequently charged and arraigned.