A signature forging and cheque book printing syndicate, believed to have masterminded multi-billion cedi-scandals at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and other reputable organisations, has been busted in Accra. The group is said to have specialized in the theft of cheque book s and financial documents from reputable organisations and then proceeded to siphon billions of cedis from their bank accounts. This has led to the illegal withdrawal of over GH¢200,OOO (¢2 billion) from the National Investment Bank (NIB), the International Commercial Bank (ICB), the SGSSB Bank, the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) and Stanbic Bank, all in Accra. Those arrested are Mohammed Sanusi Bagigah,alias Parker, who was said to be a master in the forgery of signatures, Bernard Sallah, alias Big Ben, 38, Frank Mensah Kpemli, alias George Owusu, 35, and Joseph Nyanor, 51, a cashier at TOR. Those on the run are Richard Mari, alias Wofa, who was said to be the leader of the syndicate, Cecilia Mabogumje Abimbola, 46, Sampson Omeruah, 49, Ahmadu Bintu Usman, alias Sarah, 27, and Hajia Helen Leyandrou, alias Mamaah, 45. The police have offered a GH¢2,OOO (¢20 million) reward for anybody with information that would lead to the arrest of any of them. According to a source at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, the modus operandi of the group was to target a reputable organisation and then recruit a cleaner, a security man or an employee there into its fold. It then asked whoever had been recruited from the organisation to steal a cheque book, together with any document bearing the signatures of the rightful signatories to the cheques of that organisation. Wofa, the leader, would then recruit other persons to open bank accounts at various banks within the city, while Parker employed his expertise to copy the relevant signatures. According to the source, the group then deposited the cheques at the various banks for them to pass through the three-day inter-bank clearing system. When that was done, the women in the group and a man then cashed the money. In the case of TOR, the source said the criminals wrote cheques totaling ¢6.5 billion and at the time of their arrest they had managed to cash over ¢2 billion from the amount. The source indicated that investigators believed that there was always an insider in the banks who facilitated the movement of the cheques through the inter-bank system. It said with regard to TOR, the chief cashier collected cheque books from the GCB in May this year and one booklet was stolen. Leaflets of the stolen cheque book were presented at the aforementioned banks, all written in the name of contractors who were alleged to have worked for TOR. The vigilance of some workers at Stanbic Bank, however, led to the arrest of one of the suspects, who had cashed over ¢300 million within a week and had gone back to cash ¢650 million. The source urged anybody with information on the whereabouts of the suspects on the run to contact the Organised Crime Unit on the fifth floor of the CID Headquarters or call telephone number 020-7318115 and 027-4322289. Source: Daily Graphic