Tema, Feb. 24, GNA - A taxi driver who refused to explain the loss of his car on the motorway to the car owner has been granted 100 million cedis bail by the Tema Circuit Court "A".

George Alhassan pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing a Toyota Corolla and will re-appear on March 4 2004.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Mary Assunta told the court, presided over by Mr Charles Asiedu that Mr Yobouet Kouadjo, an Ivorian ex-commissioner now resident at Kwashiman, Accra, arrived in Ghana in the wake of the war in Cote d'Ivoire in February 2003.

She said during his stay in Ghana, Kouadjo, appreciating the good services rendered to him by Alhassan, bought a Toyota Corolla taxi cab for him to drive and render sales for his upkeep in Ghana.

However, on September 5, 2003, Alhassan telephoned his owner from Tema that the taxi with registration number GW 5005 was missing.

Inspector Assunta said Alhassan did not go to his car owner to explain the circumstances surrounding the missing car, adding that Mr Kouadjo took pains to look for the accused several times, but he was nowhere to be found.

She said Mr Kouadjo therefore, reported the case to the Ashaiman police and Alhassan was arrested on the night of September 11, 2003, and during police interrogation, he stated that the taxi cab was stolen on the Accra-Tema motorway, and has until now not been traced.