An accountant that stole over GHS 40,000 from the Ghana Police Church to bet has been jailed for two years by an Adenta Circuit Court.
32-year-old Edward Unicorn confessed to the crime and pleaded with the court to grant him bail so he can work and pay it off.
Unicorn was charged with stealing and pleaded guilty to the crime.
According to his explanation in court, he squandered all the GHS40,433.50 on Aviator in desperation.
Read Also: Court Drama over stolen goats at Teshie in Accra
“I spent the money by playing Aviator. I staked it and never won. I was desperate to win but lost.
“I was addicted to Aviator, so my brother referred me to a doctor at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. I called him twice and never went to see him.
“I put in the GHS40,000 bit by bit. I was desperate to win,” Unicorn explained.
He was convicted on his own plea by the presiding judge Mrs. Sedinam Awo Kwadam.
Unicorn was employed by the Ghana Police Church as an accountant in June 2024 and was in charge of payroll preparations, the church’s mobile money accounts and monthly financial reports.
His position allowed him access to the church’s mobile money accounts, and left work with the church’s mobile money phone on August 17, 2024, around 7pm, the prosecution said.
He met a friend, Wishwell Kofi Yorke at Jerry’s Pub before heading to Purple Pub in Osu with two sex workers to have fun.
According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Anim Darko, Unicorn paid GHS136 at the pub in the wee hours of that same day.
He then deposited GHS18,303 into Yorke’s mobile money account and GHS13,588 into his own mobile money account, which they lost all to the online betting game, Aviator on August 18,2024.
Fearing prosecution, he pretended to be mentally ill and was sent to the Police Hospital before he was treated and discharged at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.
The complaint, a policer officer and Ghana Police Church chaplain, reported the case to the East Legon Police station when he detected the theft.
Investigations later revealed that GHS7,000 was collected as offertory on July 14, 2024, but only GHS5,000 was deposited into the church’s bank account.
The following Sunday, July 21, 2024, only GHS6,000 was deposited out of the GHS6,500 offertory collected.
Read Also: How fight over scraps at Rawlings Park ended up in court
Unicorn also failed to account to a sum of GHS3,143.50 collected on August 18, 2024, the prosecution said.
