Cape Coast, March 3 GNA- A circuit court at Cape Coast, on Thursday granted Daniel Ababio 28-year-old cocoa purchasing clerk, based at Twifu Mampong, 15 million cedis with a surety to be justified for fraudulent breach of trust.

He pleaded not guilty and would reappear on Thursday March 24. Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Henry Tanor told the court, presided over by Mr Beresford Acquah, that during the 2003-2004 cocoa season, the district manager of the 'Deo-Jean' Cocoa Purchasing Company, based in the Twifo-Hemang Lower-Denkyira district, Mr Kingsford Kwaku Wilson, gave Ababio an amount of 120,375,000.00 cedis to purchase 214 bags of cocoa beans.

He said at the end of the cocoa season, Ababio produced 200 bags, but could not account for the remaining 14 bags, and all efforts by the manager to retrieve the money proved futile. He said during interrogation, Ababio admitted collecting the money from the manager.