Access Bank Staff Arrested for Allegedly Siphoning GH¢164,000 in Fraudulent Scheme
A 31-year-old banker, Lawrence Avorsey, has been arrested and charged with stealing over GH¢164,000 from Access Bank Ghana Ltd. through fraudulent transaction reversals at the bank’s Spintex branch.
Avorsey, who pleaded not guilty, was arraigned before the Accra Circuit Court on February 17, 2025, and granted bail of GH¢150,000 with two sureties, one of whom must be justified.
According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Ofori-Appiah, Avorsey orchestrated the scheme between May 2023 and November 2024 by manipulating the bank’s systems to reverse funds into accounts allegedly held by accomplices Rita Kaledzi, Abigail Adjei Dzanie, and Richard Mawuli Torsu, all of whom are currently at large. Investigations revealed that Avorsey reversed GH¢75,631.55 into Kaledzi’s account, GH¢16,636.45 into Dzanie’s account, and GH¢72,184.14 into Torsu’s account, none of whom had conducted legitimate transactions warranting such reversals.
The fraud was uncovered in December 2024 when Access Bank detected discrepancies in its General Ledger reconciliations submitted by Avorsey. An internal investigation was launched, during which Avorsey took medical leave and tendered his resignation, which was not approved. He subsequently stopped reporting to work, and on December 18, 2024, the bank confirmed the missing funds. CCTV footage further implicated Avorsey, capturing him withdrawing money using an ATM card linked to Dzanie’s account.
Avorsey faces two counts: stealing, under Section 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and abetment of crime (stealing), under Sections 20(1) and 124(1) of the same Act. The prosecution alleges that Avorsey opened the accounts of Kaledzi and Torsu himself, and all three accomplices are believed to reside in the same area as him.
The police, under Detective Inspector Kwabena Akowua, are actively pursuing the at-large suspects, who also face abetment charges.
Avorsey has made partial repayments, including GH¢8,000 during initial hearings, GH¢5,000 in April, and GH¢2,000 on July 7, 2025. The case, presided over by Her Honour Basilia Adjei-Tawiah, has been adjourned to October 14, 2025, for further disclosure and investigations. As part of his bail conditions, Avorsey must deposit his passport with the court registry and report to the case investigator every other Tuesday.
The case has sparked public concern about internal controls in Ghana’s banking sector, with posts on X calling for stronger oversight to prevent such fraud.
Access Bank has not issued a public statement, but the incident follows a broader trend of financial misconduct cases, including a 2023 theft of GH¢1.2 million from ABSA Bank customers by a staff member.
