Crime & Punishment of Monday, 7 November 2005

Source: GNA

Clerk in court for stealing

Accra, Nov. 7, GNA - A 28-year-old old accounts clerk who allegedly framed up a robbery attack on him after his employers had asked him to pay 126 million cedis to a firm appeared before an Accra Circuit Court on Monday charged with stealing.

Gershon Dogbey pleaded not guilty and the court admitted him to a 150 million-cedi bail with three sureties to reappear on December 6. The case of the prosecutor Assistant Superintendent of Police Mr George Abavelim was that last Wednesday Dogbey was given 126 million cedis by his employers to be paid to Continental Commodity Trading Company (CCTC) on the Spintex Road near Foods Inn Ghana, where the accused worked.

The prosecution said he was given a car to pay the money quickly. However, after about two-and-a-half hours, Dogbey did not return to the office so his employers contacted CCTC, which informed them that the accused came to the company's premises with a bag but left soon after. The prosecution said a few hours later the Finance Manager of Food Inn received a call from the Police at Community 22, Tema, that Dogbey had been brought to the Police Station claiming that four armed men had robbed him.

The prosecution said Dogbey was arrested and sent to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Police Service following another complainant by the Finance Manager.

During Police interrogation, Dogbey stated that when he entered the cashier's office at CCTC he had a call from an unknown person who alleged that his father was seriously ill and was in a taxi parked in front of the CCTC yard.

The prosecution said Dogbey further stated that immediately he came out he was attacked by four armed robbers who tied him up, sealed his mouth with a plaster, robbed him of the money and dumped him in the bush near Michel Camp.