Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 6 September 2006

Source: GNA

Five in court for stealing

Accra, Sept. 6, GNA 96 Four employees of Checkpoint Ghana Limited, a security printing firm, and an unemployed man on Wednesday appeared before an Accra Circuit Court for stealing.

The accused persons, Robertson Martey; Bernard Nana Lartey and Siaw Awudzi, all security men; Isaac Bampoe, a driver, and Benjamin Agbo, a self employed, pleaded not guilty.

The court granted them bail in the sum 200 million cedis each with two sureties.

They would report to the Kaneshie Police Station once a week until September 18 when they would make their second appearance in court. Three others Enoch Owusu, a security man and two drivers Kwesi and Laweh are at large.

The Prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) George Abavelim, told the court that officials of Checkpoint Ghana Limited had for sometime detected a series of thefts of the company's products running into billions of cedis but did not know the culprits. DSP Abavelim said last month, Mr Joseph Boateng, Director of Checkpoint, had a call from an informant that two of the accused persons, Martey and Owusu, who had stolen reams of newsprint, had been arrested.

He said Martey named the rest as his accomplices. Awudzi who is the Supervisor of the Western gate was warned not to allow the accused persons out of the yard, but he hinted Owusu and Bampoe not to step in the office else they would be arrested. 6 Sept. 06