Techiman (B/A), Sept. 12 GNA - A 30-year-old carpenter Kwaku Boakye, has appeared before the Techiman Circuit Tribunal for allegedly attempting to poison his friend with an insecticide.

Boakye, who pleaded not guilty, was granted a five million-cedi bail with two sureties to reappear on September 24. Mr John Owusu Agyeman, a Sunyani based lawyer is representing him.

Chief Inspector Mary Asunta, prosecuting, told the tribunal chaired by Mr. Justice Abodakpi that Boakye and the complainant, Paul Domfeh, of Techiman-Kenten jointly worked as palm wine tappers.

She said somewhere along the line Boakye suddenly stopped the palm wine tapping business. Chief Inspector Asunta said on August 28 this year, when Mr Domfeh went to tap palm wine, he discovered that one of the pots under one of the felled palm trees has been replaced with a plastic container belonging to Boakye.

Prosecution said when the complainant tasted the wine, which had collected in the plastic container, he realised that it had been poisoned. Chief Inspector Asunta said Domfeh reported the matter to the Police and Boakye was arrested and arraigned.

Mr Agyemang, arguing for bail, said there was nothing to prove that Boakye was the owner of the plastic container. He said the accused was only suspected to be the owner of the container, which could belong to any other person.

Counsel said there was nothing to show that the accused was caught or seen in the act of putting the container under the palm tree and noted that it was a matter of probability.