Tamale, March 1, GNA- The former District Chief Executive and two other staff of the Zabzugu/Tatale District Assembly on Monday appeared before the Tamale High Court charged with stealing more than one billion cedis belonging to the Assembly.

The DCE, Alhaji Shamrock Abdulai Mahama, and the two, Billey Sharif, former District Coordinating Director and Joseph Kojo Tiifu, a Development Planner, pleaded not guilty to 22 counts of conspiracy to steal and stealing.

Sharif, was granted a 700 million-cedis with two sureties to be justified, while Alhaji Mahama and Tiifu, were granted bail in the sum of 400 million cedis and 200 million cedis respectively with one surety each to be justified.

The court ordered them to report to the Northern Regional Crime Officer in Tamale twice a month and provide passport-size pictures of themselves and their sureties to the police and the prosecutor. Prosecuting, Mr Cab-Beyuo, Chief State Attorney, told the court presided over by Mr Justice Victor Doegah, Supervising High Court Judge, that sometime in 2002, an audit inspection was carried out in respect of the accounts of the Zabzugu/Tatale District Assembly by a team from the Auditors-General's Department.

He said the audit, that covered a period from January 1, 1999 to December 31, 2000, revealed a lot of financial malfeasance committed by the accused persons involving more than one billion cedis. He said the three accused persons severally and jointly misappropriated the money.

The case has been adjourned to March 15, 2004.