According to Graphic.com.gh, the Hohoe Circuit Court handed down the sentence to 31-year-old Yussif Abubakar last Wednesday.
The convict is a former worker of the Hohoe branch of Star Oil Company where he spent the employer’s GH¢139,118 on sports betting and lost.
Abubakar was charged with stealing about two years ago and he pleaded not guilty. However, after the trial, the court found him guilty of the charge proffered against him.
Interestingly, his lawyer was reportedly not present in court when judgement was pronounced against him.
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Reading the 30-minute sentence, the trial judge, Yaw Opoku Acheampong ordered the convict to pay back the money to the company in addition to the jail term, a Graphic.com.gh report said.
The judge explained that he would have sentenced Abubakar to 20 years imprisonment but throughout the trial, he showed remorse for his action, hence the decision to reduce it to 15 years.
The convict’s heartbroken mother who was in court on the day of the sentencing reportedly broke down in controllable tears.
“The prosecution indicated that the convict was employed at Star Oil Company in Hohoe on November 17, 2012, as a washing bay manager and a pump attendant before rising through the ranks to become a branch supervisor for the same company on March 3, 2018,” Graphic.com.gh reported.
“According to the prosecution, on November 19, 2019, Abubakar was asked by the company's Relationship Officer, Mr. Setor Alorwu, to produce receipts of payment of sales made from November 11, 2019, to November 19, 2019, but he failed to do so.
“This raised suspicion of discrepancies in his accounts at the company.
“A report was then lodged at the Hohoe Police Station on November 19, 2019, which led to Abubakar's detention.
“An audit was subsequently conducted into the company's accounts which revealed that proceeds from sales to the tune of GH¢139,118 made from November 8-19, 2019, were missing from the sales records.
“Abubakar, when questioned on the whereabouts of the money, admitted his inability to deposit the money into the company's account and said he used the money for sports betting.”