Three persons held over GH¢100,000 stolen metals freed by court
Three persons accused of stealing metals worth GH¢100,000 at a warehouse at Odorkor in Accra have been acquitted and discharged by the Dansoman Circuit Court.
The three accused persons are: Desmond Nartey, 18, Seth Kwakye Boafo, 21, and Sule Musah, 55.
The three accused persons were freed by the court after their counsels led by Mr Lord Delvin Essandoh and Cynthia Ademadjiku filed a submission of no case on their behalf.
This was after the prosecution had closed its case by calling witnesses.
Mr Essandoh, in the submission of no case, held that prosecution led by Chief Inspector Wonder Adele had failed to make a case because the Police could not link the three accused persons to the relevant offences and their corresponding ingredients.
The court presided over by Halimah El Alawa Abdul Bassit upheld the submission of no case, saying that the court could not see the link in all the charges preferred against the accused persons.
According to the court, the prosecution failed to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt, adding the “the evidence of prosecution was so manifestly unreliable and same lost credibility” after cross examination by defence counsels.
The court has however ordered Ebenezer Assan, the first accused person, to open his defence because a case has been made against him.
Assan, Nartey and Boafo were held on charges of conspiracy to commit crime and stealing.
Sule Musah, the fourth accused person was charged with dishonestly receiving.
They pleaded not guilty, and the court admitted them to bail in the sum of GH¢120,000 with three sureties each.
Prosecution led by Chief Inspector Wonder Adele told the court earlier that the complainant Awurama Asanewaa was a businesswoman, residing at North Kaneshie.
The prosecution said Assan, the first accused, was unemployed and resided at Odorkor while Nartey, the second accused person, was also unemployed and resided at Kasoa.
Prosecution said Boafo, the third accused person, was also unemployed and lived at Weija, Accra and Musah, a scrap dealer, at Odorkor.
The case of the prosecution is that the complainant owns materials used in mounting stages for events and she has her warehouse at Odorkor.
The court heard that Assan, Nartey and Boafo were employees of the complainant.
According to the prosecution, Assan was the warehouse manager.
Prosecution said the complainant had installed CCTV cameras around the warehouse.
The prosecutor said the complainant detected that Assan, Nartey and Boafo had been stealing some of the metals used in mounting stages valued GH¢100,000.
The complainant reported the matter to the Police at Odorkor and Assan, Nartey and Boafo were arrested and detained to assist the Police in investigations.
Prosecution said during investigations, Assan, Nartey and Boafo admitted the offence and told the Police that they sold some of the metals to Musah and one other person, also a scrap dealer.
The Court heard that the Police arrested Musah to assist in investigations and during interrogation, Musah told the Police that he was a scrap dealer at Odorkor Market, and that Assan brought him some metals as scrap to purchase.
Prosecution said Musah then asked Assan of the one who sent him, and Assan told Musah that it was the complainant who sent him.
Source: GNA