Four staff members of the Pziram Eye Clinic located at Baatsonaa, Spintex, have been remanded into police custody after pleading not guilty to charges of conspiracy and stealing a total sum of GH¢475,000.00 from the facility.
The accused — Charles Ofoe Akunor, a nurse; Samuel Kutorglo and Anita Ayoni, both frontline health workers; and Alyse Deasi Amenyedzi, a cashier — appeared before the Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Her Honour Basilia Adjei-Tawiah, on charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and stealing, contrary to sections of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Daniel Appiah-Ofori, the alleged theft occurred on January 2, 2025. The four, all employees of the clinic, are suspected of collaborating to divert substantial sums of money belonging to the facility’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Charles Mensah, a practicing ophthalmologist.
The alleged scheme came to light when Dr. Mensah noticed discrepancies in the clinic’s financial records. Patient payments were reportedly not reflecting in either the clinic’s mobile money merchant account or its bank accounts, prompting an internal audit.
The audit, which reviewed transactions between January 1, 2024, and January 1, 2025, uncovered a shortfall of GH¢475,000.00. Following the discovery, Dr. Mensah lodged a formal complaint with the police on January 22, 2025.
Investigations led to the arrest of the four accused individuals, who were said to have given voluntary caution statements in the presence of independent witnesses. Each of them allegedly admitted to misappropriating various amounts of money.
Charles Ofoe reportedly confessed to taking GH¢3,500, while Samuel Kutorglo admitted that GH¢4,000 had vanished from his drawer. Alyse Amenyedzi, the cashier, allegedly took GH¢1,600, citing financial hardship. Anita Ayoni is said to have claimed she took GH¢2,000 to pay off a personal debt.
Despite these individual confessions, prosecutors insist the cumulative amount missing stands at GH¢475,000.00, and the accused are believed to have acted in concert.
The court remanded all four into custody to allow for further investigations. They are expected to reappear in court on Monday, May 19, 2025.
