Court grants four to 100,000 bail with one sureties each

Ashaiman circuit court has convicted and sentenced 4 to a bail term of GHS100,000 each for conspiracy to commit a crime namely stealing contrary to section 23(1) and section 124(1) of the criminal offenses Act 1960(Act 29).

Emmanuel Okyere, Emmanuel Addo, Samuel Adams alias Atta, and Lucky Odunu were convicted, sentenced granted a GHS100,000 bail with two sureties one of which must be a government worker with a salary not less than GHS1,500 as gross salary.

Additionally, the sureties should be residents within the jurisdiction of the court. Prosecuting, ASP C. Boahene told the court that complainant Isaac Ahoni is a Warehouse manager of Wilmar Africa Company Limited and resides at Tema Community 4. A1, Emmanuel Okyere aged 23, and A2, Emmanuel Addo aged 30 are private Security Guards working with Octavian Security Company and live at Tema Community 2. A3, Samuel Adams alias Atta aged 46 is a Driver and lives in Abonkor, Tema New Town.

A4 Lucky Odunu alias Dodzi aged 52 is a key cutter and lives at Zenu, Ashaiman. On September 30, 2022, at about6:30 pmpm, the complainant came to Tema Fishing Harbour Police Station and reported that on the same day at about noon he detected theft of 1,105 bags of 50kg Viking Thai brand rice valued at GHS 221,000.00 from their Customs Bonded Warehouse number TE/420 located near Uniliver Ghana Limited, Tema Fishing Habour. Investigation disclosed that the padlocks used to secure the gates of the Warehouse were not tampered with.

A close circuit Television Camera recording at the Warehouse was reviewed which captured two heavy-duty trucks entering the warehouse during the night of 25/9/2022. Police gathered intelligence that A1, A2 together with Alexander Owusu and Eric Kwame Ghunney both at large, all security guards of Octavian Security Company conspired with A3, A 4, and suspect Joseph Quainoo alias Joe, the Kingpin also at large to perpetuate the theft.

When A1 and A2 were arrested, they admitted their involvement in the theft and stated that suspect Joe convinced them to grant him and his men access to the Warehouse to steal the rice with a promise to share the proceeds which they agreed. By way of execution of the plan, suspect Alexander Owusu allowed Joe, A3, A4, and suspect Eric Kwame Ghunney access to the warehouse to assess the paddocks. That A4, therefore, produce keys that they used to open the paddocks on 25/9/2022 at about 11:00 pm. It was further detected that suspect Joe gave A2 and Alexander Owusu Ghc1,000 each and A1 Ghc 400 as their initial shares of the booty, with a promise to top up for them after the sale of the goods.

On 4/9/2022 at about 1:00 pm, A3 came to the station with instructions from Joe to ascertain if A1 and A2 were in custody and he was arrested by police. During interrogation, he admitted that he produced the keys that were used to open the warehouse of Wilmar Africa on 25/09/2022 for suspect Joseph Quainoo.

That suspect Joseph Quainoo brought him a photo of the padlocks and he used the same to produce the key that they used to open the warehouse. He stated further that the initial plan was to undertake the stealing operation on Saturday 24/09/2022 but when he came to meet A3 at Tema New Town to proceed to the scene, A3 told him it could not come off that day but rather on 25/09/2022.

After investigations, accused persons were charged with the offenses and arraigned before this Honorable Court. Police are making frantic efforts to get those at large arrested.

Report by Prosper Kwaku Selassy Agbitor