Emmanuel Sakyi Afriyie, a former contract employee at Absa Bank, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a financial crime that involved stealing over GH¢1.2 million from bank customers. Afriyie, who was 25 years old at the time of the crime in 2023, used customer Visa card details to illegally transfer funds.
His criminal activities were uncovered when he and his girlfriend were arrested at Kotoka International Airport on June 4, 2023, while attempting to flee to Dubai. Despite pleading not guilty, Afriyie was convicted after a full trial in the High Court of Accra.
The court, led by Justice Ruby Aryeetey, found him guilty of fraudulent electronic fund transfers, stealing, unauthorized interference with electronic records, and money laundering.
Afriyie received several sentences, including five years for fraudulent transfers, 10 years for theft, five years for tampering with records, and an additional five years for money laundering. However, since the sentences will run concurrently, his total prison term is capped at 10 years with hard labor.
Afriyie’s accomplice, Cecil Nyamesem Agyarkwa, a student charged with conspiracy to steal, was acquitted and discharged after the court found insufficient evidence to link him to the crime.
