An Accra Circuit Court has remanded a 45-year-old driver into lawful custody over the alleged theft of GH¢750,000 from a lawyer’s office at Adabraka in Accra.
The accused, Theophilus Terkpernor, is alleged to have unlawfully entered the law firm’s premises, damaged electrical installations and stolen large sums of money belonging to the complainant.
Terkpernor has been charged with unlawful entry, causing unlawful damage and stealing. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Ebenezer Teye Okuffo, the complainant, whose identity has been withheld, is a lawyer who operates a law firm in Adabraka. The accused was employed as the complainant’s driver approximately one and a half years ago. Both men reside at Lapaz in Accra.
The court heard that on May 27, 2026, the complainant arrived at his chambers at about 2:00 p.m. and discovered signs of a break-in. He also noticed that power supply to the office had been disrupted.
An electrician was subsequently called in to investigate the outage and found that electrical cables in the control room had been deliberately cut, rendering the office’s CCTV surveillance system inoperative.
Further checks revealed that GH¢50,000 kept in a container beneath the complainant’s desk had been stolen. A search of a cabinet in the office also allegedly showed that an additional GH¢700,000 was missing.
Suspicion fell on Terkpernor, prompting the complainant to lodge a report with the police, who commenced investigations into the matter.
The prosecution told the court that on June 1, 2026, police intelligence led to the arrest of Terkpernor at the head office of Standard Chartered Bank near the Ako Adjei Interchange. He was allegedly in the process of depositing GH¢74,400 to facilitate the purchase of a Toyota Corolla vehicle.
The money was retrieved by investigators and retained as evidence.
According to the prosecution, during investigations, Terkpernor admitted to breaking into the office and stealing GH¢330,000, although the complainant reported a total loss of GH¢750,000.
Police investigations further revealed that the accused allegedly took part of the money to his residence at Lapaz and entrusted some of it to his son, Kelvin Terkpernor, for safekeeping at Somanya in the Eastern Region.
The accused subsequently led investigators to Somanya, where his son was arrested. However, the son reportedly escaped from custody shortly after his arrest.
Despite the escape, police recovered GH¢203,300 hidden under the son’s bed.
The prosecution informed the court that a total of GH¢277,700 has so far been recovered in connection with the case.
Investigations are ongoing as authorities continue efforts to recover the remaining funds and apprehend the accused’s son. The court has remanded Terkpernor into custody pending further proceedings.
