LBDI employee indicted for theft

Authorities of the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment, or LBDI, are expected to appear before criminal Court “C” at Temple of Justice today, Wednesday, in pursuit of a criminal case the bank field against one of its employees, defendant Margretta Dorbor, for allegedly stealing thousands of US and Liberian dollars.

Defendant Dorbor allegedly stole US$22,567 plus L$288,690 from various customers’ accounts while working at LBDI between January and December 2010.

She has since been indicted on multiple criminal charges of theft of property, forgery and counterfeiting – a felony of the second degree, more than four years after her arrest by police on February 4, 2011.

Amid accusation against defendant Dorbor of tempering with depositors’ money, the LBDI management said it had ordered an audit at its Gardnerville Branch where she was assigned.

On the very day the auditor only identified as Jomah, arrived at the Gardnerville branch at 8:00 a.m. on December 10, 2010, the indictment said, the auditor observed a huge quantity of cash in the amount of LD$23,715.00 under the desk of the defendant in a small cartoon, plastic bags and “Ghana Must Go Bag.”

Auditor Jomah was said to have additionally observed a huge consignment of counterfeits in the cartoon and bags, totaling US$20,000.

LBDI authorities complained to police that while defendant Dorbor was within the employ of the bank with assignment at its Gardnerville branch, management allegedly observed overtime that between January and December 2010, the defendant stole money from various customers’ accounts.

The accused is alleged to have victimized more than a dozen of customers whose accounts numbers have been documented in the indictment, including a community saving club named Gardnerville People Saving Club.

The Saving Club, which allegedly had L$70,000 balance in its account, had on November 19 and 24, 2010 “surrendered” to defendant Dorbor L$56,000 and L$21,000 respectively for deposit, expecting to have a total balance of L$147,000 in its account as recorded in the club’s saving book.

But the indictment said, “…it did not appear on the account of the Gardnerville People Saving Club in the system of LBDI.” The accused was alleged to have given a refund of US$1,000 and issued receipt, with a balance of L$77,000.

By Winston W. Parley