A 36-year-old woman who admitted stealing GHS50,000 from her Accra employer was sentenced to one year of hard labor in prison by the Accra Circuit Court, which postponed her original sentence. During the most recent sitting, the court, presided over by Mr. Kwabena Koduah Obiri- Yeboah, found Joyce Enyonam Dedei guilty based on her own admission, and it was mandated that she undergo a pregnancy test before receiving a punishment. She must also pay a fee of 300 penalty units, or GHS3,600.00, or else she will have to spend an additional year in jail performing hard labor.
The fact that she was a first-time offender, displayed contrition, and spared the court’s time by not just admitting the offense was taken into account by the court when it handed down its sentence. However, the Court instructed her to return the money to the complaint as the amount involved was significant. Dedei had admitted to stealing and was found guilty based on her own admission. She was subsequently remanded to police custody with the instruction to appear in court again on February 1, 2023. Dedei requested leniency from the court prior to her conviction and added that she did not commit the offense knowingly.
She argued for mitigation by stating that she was the sole provider for three children, who ranged in age from 18 months to four years.
In a previous statement before the court, Police Chief Inspector Olivia Ofori-Atta stated that the complainant, Madam Juliana Koleki Colley, operated a chop bar and employed Dedei, a trader, as an attendant. She claimed that whereas Dedei resided in Ayigbe Town, an Accra suburb, the complainant lived near to the Births and Deaths Registry in the Ministries Area. According to Chief Inspector Olivia, Dedei moved in with Madam Juliana when she hired her almost seven years ago. According to the prosecution, Madam Juliana, who had stashed the GHS50,000 in her chamber, left Dedei behind and went shopping at Agblogbloshie market.
She claimed that when Madam Julian got back from the market, she found that both her money and Dedei were gone. However, luck eluded Dedei when the complainant saw her in town, led to her arrest, and handed her over to the Ministries’ Police. All attempts to locate Dedei had been unsuccessful. According to Chief Inspector Olivia, Dedei merely admitted to stealing GH8,000 in her cautious statement.
