An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a man to 14 days’ imprisonment for spending a GH¢114,000 obtained by his former girlfriend as a loan on sports betting.
Presiding judge, Joseph Kunsong, also fined Vincent Apetor, the suspect, GH¢3,000, with a default sentence of six months’ imprisonment and further ordered to refund the outstanding GH¢79,000 after serving his sentence.
Apetor, an unemployed man, was charged with fraudulent breach of trust and pleaded guilty to the offence.
According to the court, the money was secured by the complainant to support the processing of travel documents and a possible trip to Holland.
Lead prosecutor, Inspector Frank Morgan Dorvi, indicated that the complainant, whose name was withheld, is a secretary and resident of Ablekuma, while Apetor resides at Bubuashie-Atico, Accra.
The prosecution said the two were previously in a romantic relationship and lived together at Ablekuma.
They had planned to travel to Holland and contacted a travel agent, Razak, who advised them to increase their bank balance to improve their chances of securing visas.
According to the prosecution, because Apetor was unemployed, the complainant obtained a loan from a relative and deposited portions of the money into Apetor’s Ecobank account between September 24, 2024, and February 17, 2025.
The complainant also gave money to Apetor and other persons to deposit into the account, bringing the total amount deposited to GH¢114,000.
The prosecution said Apetor secretly obtained an ATM card and, between September 25, 2024, and February 17, 2025, withdrew the money in the account, including the complainant’s funds, and spent it.
It said Apetor also obtained a cheque book and hid it in their room to prevent suspicion, leading the complainant to believe the funds remained untouched because the cheque book had not been used.
The court heard that Apetor obtained a bank statement to support his visa application but was denied a visa due to errors in his application forms.
The complainant later requested the GH¢114,000 and discovered that Apetor had spent the money.
Police arrested him after the matter was reported in August 2025.
During interrogation, Apetor admitted spending most of the money on football betting and losing it.
Police recovered GH¢35,000 from him, leaving an outstanding balance of GH¢79,000.
