Accra: A trader by the name of Constance Gyasi Nimako has been remanded into lawful custody by an Accra Circuit Court on charges of stealing and laundering money that was mistakenly credited to her bank account.
According to Ghana News Agency, Nimako, who is also known as Maa Adwoa, allegedly spent GHS770,500 of the GHS800,000 that was erroneously transferred to her Ecobank account. The funds were meant for a business transaction by the CEO of a company, who inadvertently sent the money to Nimako's account instead of his own. Nimako reportedly transferred GHS300,000 to her mother's account at Fidelity Bank, GHS400,000 to her own account at GCB Bank, and withdrew GHS70,500 in cash.
Both Nimako and her mother, Cecilia Gyasi, face charges in connection with the incident. Nimako is charged with stealing and money laundering, while her mother is charged with abetment of crime to wit money laundering. They both pleaded not guilty to the charges. Despite arguments from the defense, the presiding judge, Mrs. Susan Eduful, remanded Nimako due to concerns that she might not appear in court for trial. Meanwhile, Gyasi was granted bail in the sum of GHS500,000, with the condition that the sureties must be immediate family members earning at least GHS2,000 monthly.
The case has been adjourned to July 7, 2025. The funds were initially transferred on February 6, 2025, when the complainant, who holds accounts with Consolidated Bank Ghana and Ecobank Ghana, mistakenly provided Nimako's account details for the transfer. Upon discovering the error, efforts to retrieve the funds were unsuccessful as Nimako had already moved the majority of the money.
The Head of Security and Investigations at Consolidated Bank Ghana assisted the complainant in reporting the matter to the police. When contacted by the police, Nimako allegedly refused to cooperate, and was eventually arrested in Kumasi, while her mother was detained in Accra. Investigations revealed that Nimako had informed her mother about the mistakenly transferred funds, instructing her to withdraw GHS300,000, which she complied with. During interrogation, Nimako claimed the money was sent by a foreign company with whom she had no prior dealings, and stated that she had used the funds to order goods, which she was still awaiting.
Prosecution efforts are ongoing to trace and recover the remaining amount.
