Asamankese, Jan. 14, GNA - Michael Anokye, 41, a district officer of a cocoa purchasing company, on Thursday appeared before the Asamankese Circuit Court charged with stealing 654 bags of cocoa valued at GH¢66,708. Anokye pleaded not guilty and was granted GH¢70,000 bail with two sureties, one of whom should be from the Jurisdiction of the court. He is being represented by two lawyers, Nana Addo Aikins and Mr Augustus Ennin Attafuah. Police Inspector Francis Asare-Cobbina prosecuting, told the court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Siameh, that Anokye was the District Officer of the Kade branch of the Cocoa Merchants (Ghana) Limited, a private Cocoa Buying Company. He said between September 2008 and May 2009, Anokye was given a total cash of GH¢724,914 to buy 7,107 bags of cocoa to be inspected and sealed by the Quality Control Division of the Ghana Cocoa Board. Anokye bought 7,081 bags of cocoa and claimed that the remaining 26 bags were still with some purchasing clerks, who were yet to produce them. The prosecutor said the total number of 7,081 bags bought by the accused were duly inspected and sealed by the Quality Control Division and were kept in the company's depot at Kade to be conveyed to their Tema port office for onward shipment to abroad. During the main crop season, all the branch depots including the Kade one were audited and it was detected that out of the 7,081 bags of cocoa sealed, only 6,427 bags were sent to Tema while 654 bags valued at GH¢66.708 could not be accounted for. The waybill register at the Kade depot was inspected and it came to light that the accused forged the signature of one Ali, a driver of Global Haulage, a transport company assigned to convey the cocoa beans from the depot to the Tema office.

A waybill number 0125 dated January 01, 2009 with 305 bags of cocoa written on it and signed by the accused in the name of Ali was found. Another waybill numbered 0130 with 139 bags of cocoa was also found with the same Ali's name and signature, which indicated that the cocoa had been sent to Tema.

Lastly, another waybill numbered 0131 with 178 bags of cocoa was also found. In this instance, Anokye forged the signature of one Issaka, also a driver, alleging the said driver had gone for the cocoa beans. A report was later made to the Police and the accused was arrested. The prosecutor said during investigation, Police proceeded to Tema where it was discovered that the number of bags in question never reached there. The two drivers were also invited to the police station, who testified to the fact that on the dates written on the waybills none of them went to the Kade depot to load any cocoa. The two counsels for the accused pleaded for bail for their client saying he was honest, respectful and upright man who had been reporting periodically to the police since his arrest on June 27 last year.