Five CAGD staff, eight others discharged in embezzlement probe 

An Accra High Court has discharged five staff of the Controller and Accountant Generals Department(CAGD) and eight others who were accused of duping the state of about one million Ghana cedis. 

They were discharged after pleading guilty under section 35 of the Courts Act 459. 

The said provision allows persons accused of stealing state funds to plead guilty, refund the monies in full and also pay reparation to the state. 

The 13 have so far paid more than 1.1 million cedis to the state. They were charged with conspiracy to commit crime and stealing. 

According to the prosecution, the accused persons got people to open accounts with some specific banks to deposit monies into them which they later withdrew.

GBC