Bank Manager Leads A Cartel To Defraud Customer Of �77M

The Managing Director of the Shai Rural Bank, Abraham Nortey Tetteh, may soon be facing the full rigours of the law for allegedly duping several customers of the bank to the tune of about 150million, source revealed. The Manager of the bank, an alleged ex-convict, is also accused of preventing auditors from the Banking Supervision Department of the Bank of Ghana from auditing transactions of the Shai Rural bank since he assumed office in 2009. Sources within the Bank informed The New Crusading Guide that in a bid to cover up his illicit deals, Abraham Nortey Tetteh, has connived with the District Chief Executive (DCE), Emmanuel Anyemi Odoi Lartey, Israel Kofi Dadebo, one Ajakli, who is the District NADMO Coordinator, and Steven Ayartey, an assemblyman for Kodiabe, to put pressure on the chairman of the Shai Rural Bank, Nene Awate Bana to resign. According to Nene Bana, who is the Todornya Matse of Dodowa and Acting President of the Dangme West Traditional Area, he is being intimidated to resign due to his unstable relationship with the DCE on chieftaincy related matters and the District Assembly Common Fund. Sources indicate that the said interest group wants to do away with the current chairman in order to appoint Steven Ayartey, the assembly man for Kodiabe as the new chairman of the bank with Ajakli and Israel Dadebo as his deputies. According to the chief, the new appointments if successful would allow the DCE the Manager full access to the District Assembly Common Fund without going through the laid down procedures of the bank. According to a reliable source, Abraham Nortey-Tetteh, who was a former Director of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in the Gushegu area, was caught red handed, diverting and selling two drums of diesel belong to the company few years ago. Sources noted that he was subsequently arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned. However, some strange circumstances led to his acquittal after serving some few months in jail. Some �big men� in his family were believed to have facilitated his release from prison. According to sources, a close relative facilitated his appointment as head of the Adenta Agency of the Bank. Investigations indicated that whiles at Adenta, he managed to collect several million cedis belong to some �Susu� collectors in the area who are customers of the bank and fialed to properly account for the money before he was transferred to the Head Office at Dodowa. At the headquarters, he was made the Manager of the bank after the former manager left for Europe to pursue his Masters� degree programme. The alleged graduate from the All Nations University with a Degree in Accounting is said to be currently using his position to bully his subordinates, suspending them whenever he wanted. It is evidence that he suspended the chief cashier of the bank, Victoria Tetteh, indefinitely for refusing to adhere to his rules after Victoria forced him to account for a �70million cash he withdrew to organise a failed Annual General Meeting in December last year. According to Victoria, the Manager invited her to a special lunch at the Forest Hotel and informed her that he had received information from the Bank of Ghana wanted to help to recapitalise the Shai Rural Bank with an amount of 4billion cedis. Victoria said the Manager wanted her to be part of the committee that would build the bank apartment and the premises so she could help him divert some of the funds to enable him to build a four bedroom self contained apartment. �When I refused the deal he decided to punish me and this brought up the misunderstanding between us.� I want the Bank of Ghana to initiate full scale investigations into the issue and properly audit the accounts of the bank to help save the bank from collapsing. Due to his illegal withdrawals, the bank is finding it difficult to pay its customers who have deposited their monies, she submitted. On his part, Nene Awate said he still remained the Board Chairman of the Shai Rural Bank until the Bank of Ghana has fully investigated the issue and audited the books of the bank. He said whiles he remain the chairman he will ensure that the District Assembly common fund is properly accessed and would not allow the DCE and the bank manager to abuse the public fund. He has also requested the ARB Apex Bank to put pressure on the Shai Rural Bank to suspend the Annual General Meeting, which will be organised on Saturday since the bank�s accounts have not been audited. When the New Crusading Guide managed to contact the Managing Director of the Shai Rural Bank on telephone, he refused to react to all the allegations leveled against him and invited this reporter to come down for proper interview. He rudely hanged up when this reporter went ahead to ask further questions. Meanwhile, Mrs Eunice Osei Bonsu, of the ARB Apex Bank has assured the New Crusading Guide that her outfit would fully investigate the matter and come out with the truth.