An Shubham Sharma, an Indian national, has been sentenced to five years in prison by an Accra Circuit Court for possessing counterfeit foreign and local currencies.

The court heard that Sharma, who worked as a manager, was found with fake GH¢200 notes amounting to GH¢1,976,000and counterfeit US$100 notes totalling US$191,900. He was accused of replacing his employer’s genuine cash with forged notes.

According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Wisdom Alorwu, the complainant — a businessman and chief executive of a company that produces air fresheners — reported that Sharma had swapped legitimate money kept by the company with counterfeit currency.

Presiding judge Joseph Yennuban Kunsong sentenced Sharma to four years’ imprisonment for possessing fake Ghana cedi notes and five years for holding counterfeit foreign currency. The sentences will run concurrently.

The court noted that Sharma had already spent over nine months in custody prior to the ruling.

It also directed officials from the Ghana Police Service, the Bank of Ghana and the court registrar to ensure the destruction of the seized counterfeit notes. The court further ordered that Sharma be deported after completing his prison term.

Prosecutors said investigations showed that Sharma, who was responsible for receiving and keeping the company’s cash, allegedly broke into his employer’s safe while the businessman was travelling abroad and replaced genuine US dollars with fake notes.

Further checks within the company revealed that large amounts of Ghana cedis had also been substituted with counterfeit GH¢200 notes.

The Bank of Ghana later confirmed that the recovered currency notes were forged.

During police investigations, Sharma admitted that the fake notes had been kept in the company’s office.