Washing Bay Attendant Remanded for Allegedly Stealing Friend's GH¢46k, Using it on Sports Betting

A 21-year-old washing bay worker was arrested for allegedly stealing GH¢46,306.90 from his friend and using the money for betting.

The accused, Dominic Fordjour, pleaded not guilty to a charge of stealing at the Nkawie Circuit Court and is expected to reappear before the court on June 15, 2026.

How the suspect allegedly stole the money

Fordjour accompanied Kyei to open a savings account at the Nkawie branch of GCB Bank, where an amount of GH¢46,306.90 was deposited.

Subsequently, the complainant decided to register for a mobile money account and sought the assistance of the accused to guide him through the registration process.

During the registration, Fordjour allegedly advised Kyei to use "1957" as his security code. Chief Inspector Gyan said that on May 25, 2026, the complainant visited the bank to withdraw part of his savings but was informed that the account balance was nil.

An account statement later revealed that the entire amount had been withdrawn through a mobile money number Suspecting Kyei, Fordjour reported the theft to the Nkawie Police, leading to Fordjour's arrest.

According to the prosecution, in his caution statement, Fordjour admitted withdrawing the money in instalments from the complainant's bank account into his mobile money wallet whenever he needed funds.

He further told investigators that the withdrawals eventually amounted to GH¢46,306.90 and that he used the entire sum for betting activities.

Similar cases of gambling losses in Ghana

There have been previous instances of people squandering corporate funds on gambling. In a similar case, an accountant who stole GH¢40,433.50 from the Ghana Police Church had been sentenced to two years in jail.

He was directed to pay back GH¢5,000 and GH¢2,775, respectively, retrieved from him and given back to the Ghana Police Church.

In January 2025, the Sales and Marketing Manager of DPS Industries Limited was dragged to the Dansoman Circuit Court for allegedly investing the company’s GH¢491,000 in online sports betting.

Graphic Online reported that, according to court documents, the suspect, Depak Sonar, had been accused of appropriating GH¢681,000 from the company.

He said to have used the GH¢491,000 on betting while using the remaining GH¢190,000 to settle personal debts.