A 51-year-old businessman who altered a cheque for 100,982 dollars and stole money belonging to Merchant Bank was Thursday, February 28, 2008, sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment with hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court. Kwaku Owusu Bempah, Chief Executive Officer of Temecular Investment Limited in Accra was found guilty on charges of conspiracy and stealing. Bempah pleaded not guilty to the charges. According to the facts before the court, Bempah managed to steal the amount from the bank by usimg a cheque that did not belong to his so-called company.His evidence exonerated two accomplices Kweku Gyamfi and Abena Gyimah, who are currently at large.They were acquitted and discharged. Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Peter Bene said on March 1, 2006 Bempah, Gyamfi and Abena presented documents to the Adabraka Branch of the Merchant Bank as business partners who wanted to open a foreign account. He said they opened three accounts with a 100,982 dollars cheque from Citibank in New York with the account name Temecula Investments Limited with Bempah as the sole signatory to the account. From March 29, 2006 Bempah began withdrawing money from the account and by July 31 2006, he had exhausted the money. On December 26, 2006 Merchant Bank, Ghana, received a fax message from Citibank, New York which said the cheque was a stolen one, altered to bear the name of Bempah's company. The prosecution said as a result, Merchant Bank was compelled to pay the amount as Citibank had credited it to Merchant Bank’s accounts. The prosecution said in Bempah's caution statements, he claimed two people gave him the cheque, but added he did not know its source. He said it was detected that the cheque was originally issued to Northrop Grumman Com but was altered.Source: GNA