Accra, Feb. 7, GNA - Two executive members of the Ghana Co-operative Marketing Association ( GCMA ) who stole empty cocoa sacks valued at 13.5 million cedis and cash of 7.5 million cedis, the property of the association appeared before a circuit tribunal in Accra on Monday.

Baffour Kwabena Senkyire, 70, a lawyer, the Managing Director of the Association and Nana Kwarteng Amaning, 47, a farmer, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and stealing and were granted 10 million cedis bail each with a surety to be justified.

The tribunal, chaired by Mrs Elizabeth Anderson Yebuah, noted that the continued stay in office by the accused persons as executive members, would interfere with the prosecution of the case.

It therefore, directed the board of the association to take steps to remove the accused persons from office. Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Patrick Sarpong, said the complainant is the Volta Regional President of the Ghana Co-operative Marketing Association and a member of the National Board of Executives of the Association.

DSP Sarpong said the Cocoa Marketing Board (CMB) supplied a number of empty cocoa sacks to the association in all the regions to enable it to purchase cocoa on its behalf.

He said somewhere in January, 1998, Sneakier and Amazing, who are members of the national executives, conspired to collect 30 bales of empty cocoa sacks valued at 13 million cedes from Adobofour and Sefwi Wiawso depots, without the authorisation of the entire board.

The prosecutor said the accused persons invited some prospective buyers to the depots who inspected the sacks, after which they paid 10.8 million cedis but the accused have refused to account for the payment.

DSP Sarpong said they also collected 7.5 million cedis as rent for their accommodation at James Town in Accra. He said Senkyire and Amaning told the police during investigations that it was the board that directed that the sacks should be sold, but they failed to substantiate their claims.

They will appear again on Friday, February 18.