GET RICH-QUICK DRIVER BEFORE COURT FOR STEALING COCOA BEANS

By Felix Engsalige Nyaaba

An Articulator-trailer driver who in attempt to get rich over night by diverting 510 bags of cocoa meant for his boss at Kpong was yesterday arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court and remanded in police custody for stealing cocoa bean valued at GHC104, 550.00.

The accused, Alhassan Abass, was arrested by national security night patrol team at Israel Junction, near Dansoman and handed over to the police.

He pleaded not guilty to one count of stealing contrary to Section 124(1) of the criminal offence Act 1960 of Act 29.

However, the presiding judge, Miss Audrey Korcuvie-Tay remanded to reappear on April 10, this year.

The prosecution case was that, the complainant in the case is the Tema Port Manager of produce Buying Company of Ghana Cocoa Board, whilst the accused is a driver of S.O Frimpong Company Limited at Tema.

The prosecutor, Chief Inspector Charles Chester said, on March 23, this year, the accused was detailed to drive a Mercedes Benz Trailer with registration number GR 6098-Q from Produce Buying Company(PBC) yard at Tema to offload the 510 bags of cocoa beans at PBC warehouse at Kpong.

He said the accused drive to Kpong with the cocoa beans with the pretence to offload the cocoa beans but returned to PBC yard with the beans still loaded in the Car and failed to report to his boss why he returned with the beans still not offloaded.

According to the prosecutor, on March 26,  the accused went for the car with the pretence of offloading the coca beans at Tarzan warehouse yard also at Tema,  but rather went and parked the vehicle on the roadside waiting for his  accomplices.

The prosecutor explained that, in the night the accused drove the cocoa beans from Tema to Accra,  apparently to sell them to a person not known to the company.

But unfortunately for him on reaching the Israel Traffic Junction, a suburb of Accra, at about 12:30 am, personnel from the national security patrol team on their usual night duty in Accra intercepted the vehicle and when they requested to know the content, the accused told the security operatives that it was fertilizer.

He said, the security officer insisted on their demand and after a careful examination on the vehicle when it was opened, it was discovered to be cocoa beans but not fertilizer as the accused said.

During interrogation, the accused person admitted that he was going to sell the cocoa beans to someone but failed to mention the fellow’s name.

He was subsequently handed over to the police and during investigation he admitted stealing the beans to sell and based on that he was charged for the offence and brought before court.