Tema, Jan. 12, GNA -- A messenger of the Tema branch of Merchant Bank who stole over two billion cedis from the bank has been remanded by the Tema circuit court 'B'.

Solomon Adofo Nyaako pleaded not guilty on two counts of stealing and will reappear on January 20, 2005.

Chief Inspector Edith Nutakor told the court presided over by Mr Stephen Teye that on October 10, 2004, the bank told the police that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) had informed the bank that the accused, attached to ECG as a seller of prepaid units, had defrauded the bank by manipulating the computer.

During investigations it was detected that the accused, with the connivance of Richard Gbeve of Southern Fried Chicken, Tema, Joseph Anamong Otu, Electrical Technician of ECG, Tema, one Akoto of Legon Fisheries and one Emmanuel of Celltec contracted Noah Abeka, Ernest Adovor and Samuel Mensah, all computer specialists, to delete certain vital information from the computer and the accused succeeded in stealing 2,006,506,529 cedis.

Chief Inspector Nutakor said upon a tip off, the accused was on December 16, 2004 traced to Agbari Agbuta, a village in Togo, with the assistance of Interpol/Lome who arrested and brought him to Ghana. She said when the accused was searched 500 dollars and 13,000 CFA together with a Nokia mobile phone were found on him.