By Emelia Nkrumah
Accra, Jan. 5, GNA – A trader who allegedly stole goods from a warehouse amounting to GHS250,000.00 has been granted bail when he appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.
Ibrahim Amadu, charged with conspiracy to commit crime, unlawful entry and two counts of stealing, pleaded not guilty to the offences.
The Court presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah admitted the accused person to GHS200,000.00 with two sureties.
The Court ordered that one of the sureties should be justified with a registered landed property within the area and the other one be a government worker within the authority.
The case has been adjourned to January 18, 2023.
Meanwhile, Richard Okyere, at large, is also charged with conspiracy to commit crime and two counts of stealing.
Prosecuting Police Chief Inspector Maxwell Ayim told the Court that the complainant Adamu Bukari is a trader and resided at Weija.
“Richard Okyere, at large doubles as sales boy and keeper of the complainant’s warehouse and resided at Dansoman,” the prosecution said, while Amadu was a resident of Pokuase, Accra.
The prosecution said the complainant had a shop at Okaishie, where he sells scrubbing and sweeping brushes, hangers, padlocks, mop buckets and mop sticks, and so on.
It said in January 2021, the complainant started experiencing shortages of the goods in the warehouse at Zongo Lane Junction, Accra, so he changed the padlocks three times but to no avail.
The prosecution said on April 9, 2022, Amadu unlawfully entered the warehouse and made away with 23 cartons of padlocks, two boxes of scrubbing brushes, three bundles of sweeping brushes, seven cartons of mops, one carton of coat hangers and two cartons of metal hangers all valued GHS 38, 433.00.
It said Amadu was apprehended by witnesses in the case and was ordered to call the complainant for verification due to the rampant stealing of the goods at the warehouse, but he called Okyere and informed him of his arrest, but Okyere bolted away.
The prosecution said luckily, the complainant went to the warehouse at that same hour and met Amadu holding duplicated keys with the above-mentioned stolen goods being held by the guards and was handed over to the Police.
It said in the caution statement of Amadu, he admitted the offences and told the Police that it was Okyere who gave him the duplicated keys to steal from the warehouse and share the proceeds.
The prosecution said Amadu further stated that he had been to the warehouse 12 times to steal the items and share the proceeds with Okyere and the highest amount he had ever sold was GHS7000.00.
It said Amadu pleaded with the Police, sat with the complainant, and agreed to refund GHS250,000.00 to the complainant for goods already stolen and proceeds shared with Okyere but after paying GHS 49,000.00, he failed to pay the rest.
The prosecution said photographs of the stolen items were taken and some released to the complainant for lack of space to keep them.
It said efforts were being made to arrest Okyere.
GNA