Twelve officials of an unlicensed non-bank financial institution who allegedly swindled customers to the tune of GH�19 million have been arrested by the police.
Onward Investment Ghana is said to have taken deposits from the customers with promises of huge interests. Three Nigerians and their four Ghanaian accomplices who are said have operated the company are currently on the run.
The Nigerians Okone Bassey, Michael Johnson and Prince Nwuoma Essien are currently at large, together with Timothy Ababio, Mohammed Saleh, Simon Nyarko and Lawrence Mensah, all Ghanaians. The company is said to have branches in Accra, Kumasi, Sunyani and Techiman.
The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police Mr Prosper Kwame Agblor, told journalists in Accra Thursday that the Bank of Ghana had lodged a complaint at the CID Headquarters concerning the operations of the company on January 11, 2012.
Investigations by the police, according to Mr Agblor, led to the arrest of Evans Nunoo, 28, and Richard Samah, 28, managers of the company�s Accra and Kumasi branches, respectively.
He said Hubert Attah Appiah, 21, was also arrested while transporting $118,000 from the company�s Accra branch to Kumasi on Samah�s instructions. The nine other employees who have also been arrested have all claimed ignorance of the company�s dubious deals.
According to Mr Agblor, the directors of the company had applied to the Bank of Ghana for a forex bureau licence but that was declined by the central bank. However, the company went ahead to collect deposits from unsuspecting customers.
He asked members of the public to volunteer information that could lead to the arrest of those wanted.
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