Akim Swedru (E/R), Aug. 25, GNA – Nine personnel of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Akim Oda, have appeared before the Akim Swedru Circuit Court for their alleged involvement in the embezzlement of GH¢420.

The employees who are variously charged with abetment of crime, forgery of official documents and stealing, all denied their offences and are on a GH¢2,000 bail and are to reappear on August 31.

The nine accused persons are Emmanuel Broku Asante, 24, Joyce Annor Mensah, 21, Portia Osei Bempong, 25, Irene Prah, 20, Samuel Obiri, 34, Dorcas Arthur Asor, 35, Richard Kwasi Boateng, 34, Dorcas Boafo, 27 and Emmanuel Ampem, 40.

An accomplice, Anthony Appiah, the 10th accused person has absconded.

Briefing the court presided over by Mr Yaw Atta Sampong, Police Chief Inspector Kwadwo Ahenkorah said on July 15, the Acting Manager of the NHIS reported Asante, Mensah, Bempong and Prah to the Akim Oda police, for the forgery of the Scheme’s records.

During Police interrogations, six other names including two senior staffs who are responsible for the scheme’s information system and the issuance of stickers, were mentioned.

Chief Inspector Ahenkorah said Asante admitted having committed the crime with the connivance of the other accused person, to defraud the scheme.

He stated that the scheme’s computerization data-base network had broken down and rendered the system porous and as a result of that it could accept any receipt number, a requirement for insuring the validation of an insurance card.

He said the accused person also took advantage of the negligence of Obiri who is the Public Relation Officer, and had the stickers in his custody, to illegally register 12 insurance cards.