By Joyce Danso
Accra, Aug. 10, GNA- Two persons have been put before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly robbing a German national of one kilogramme of gold worth GHC 259,000.
Philip Mustapha Morka, a 58-year-old Commodity Exporter and Nana Akwasi Adom, a 59-year-old bar operator are alleged to have committed the act with some police officers now at large.
Charged with conspiracy to commit crime namely robbery and robbery, the two have pleaded not guilty.
The court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh, admitted Adom to bail in the sum of GHC 300,000 with two sureties who are to be public servants earning not less than GHC2,000 a month.
The court, however, remanded Morka into police custody.
Morka was remanded because the court had issued a bench warrant for his arrest in another case before it.
The matter has been adjourned to August 24.
The prosecution, led by Superintendent Elorm Bani and Inspector Thomas Sarfo, objected to the grant of bail of the accused persons because the matter was under investigations and the police were yet to arrest other accomplices believed to be police officers.
Inspector Sarfo told the court that the accused persons would not appear to stand trial when granted bail, adding that in the case of Morka, he was standing trial before the same court in another case and a bench warrant had been issued for his arrest.
Mr Theophilus Donkor and Mr Eric Mensah who represented the accused persons prayed for bail saying the police had breached the 48-hour rule of producing the accused persons before the court.
The defence counsel held that the accused were in gainful employment and had fixed places of abode and they would appear to stand trial.
Narrating the facts of the case, Inspector Sarfo said the complainant Dominik Winterfeld-Gern was self- employed and resided at Osu in Accra.
The prosecution said the complainant wanted to buy gold and informed Morka whom he had met in Ghana.
It said Morka introduced two other accomplices yet to be arrested to the complainant as gold dealers who could supply the gold to him.
The prosecution said Morka later introduced Adom, the second accused person as a relative.
It said the two accused persons and their accomplices yet to be arrested held a meeting with the complainant and his friends on several occasions at Adom’s bar at Abelemkpe where they promised to provide him gold.
The prosecution said on August 5, this year, at about 3:00pm, the two accused persons and their accomplices lured the complainant and his friend to a gold refinery shop at Abelemkpe near the Medical Supply and sold one kilogramme valued at GHC259,000 to him.
During the transaction, the prosecution said Morka collected the gold bar from the other accomplices and declined to accept the payment of the gold in the refinery shop and requested that the payment be made outside the refinery.
It said immediately they came out from the refinery shop, one of the accomplices collected the money from the complainant’s friend known as Fabio and drove off in a waiting car while the accused and the other accomplices waited at the refinery to finalise the documentation of the process.
The prosecution said three other accomplices dressed in Police uniform, armed with AK47 rifles in a Toyota Camry saloon car with trade plate number DV NO 5476 H crossed the complainant’s car with AK47 rifles just at the entrance of the refinery and kidnapped the complainant at gunpoint, handcuffed him into the Toyota Camry and took him away.
It said they collected the gold bar from the complainant and abandoned him at a spot near Las Palmas Restaurant and drove off.
The prosecution said the police were informed and the accused persons traced and arrested.
GNA