The Amasaman Circuit Court has ordered two drivers accused of stealing an excavator belonging to a busi­nessman to open defence case.

The Court, presided over by Ms. Enid Marful-Sau said the prose­cution had established criminal charges against the accused.

Ali Zakary and Dabare Toffic, both drivers, have been jointly charged with conspiring to steal an excavator valued at USD108,000.00.

Zakary is facing an additional charge of stealing and Toffic is charged with abetment of crime. They have denied the charges in Court.

Meanwhile, their alleged accom­plices: Desmond Appiah, Ernest Addo, Hamidu Nashiru Yabre as well as two others only named Emma and Bash are still on the run.

Police Chief Inspector, Nashi­ru Salifu, told the Court that Alhaji Ali Seidu was the complainant.

He said Zakary lived at Ashaiman and Toffic lived at Afrancho, a suburb of Kumasi.

The prosecution said the complainant imported eight brand new long King excavators into the country, and Naskorsi Limited was contracted to work on the freight formalities and transport same to a warehouse at Dobro.

Chief Insp Salifu said the freight forwarder cleared some of the containers containing disas­sembled excavators at the Tema Harbour and went in search of a long trailer to transport the excava­tors to a warehouse.

The Court heard that Zakary informed a staff of Naskorsi, also a witness in the case that he knew of a trailer driver (Appiah) who could transport one of the con­tainers and gave Appiah’s contact to him.

Chief Insp Salifu said on October 19, 2023, one of the containers containing the excavator valued at USD108,000 was loaded onto a DAF 95 trailer with forged registration number GN 7252 –11, driven by Zakary, but did not dispatch the containers to where seven others had been deposited at the warehouse.

The prosecution said a complaint was lodged with the police as Zakary’s phone had been switched off.

Chief Insp Salifu said police received information that the con­tainer had been taken to Kumasi.

The court heard that investiga­tions revealed that Zakary, Toffic, Appiah and Addo were about to sell the excavator, but luck eluded them and they were arrested and the others escaped.

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