Court remands two for stealing cocoa beans

Two persons have been remanded into prison custody, and another admitted to bail as an accomplice, for stealing 358 bags of cocoa beans valued GH¢75,896.

The cocoa beans belong to the Transroyal Ghana Limited.

The bail conditions of the accomplice involved GH¢50,000 with one surety. They would reappear on May 17, 2013.

Frank Ayensu Boateng, a driver, Benjamin Koranteng, a depot keeper and Kwesi Agyemang, a purchasing clerk who are workers with the Transroyal Ghana Limited at Akim Akroso in the Eastern Region pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and stealing.

Briefing the court presided over by Mr Yaw Atta Sampong, Police Inspector Fabian Sallah said, the District Manager of the Company is the complainant, and that sometime in November 12, last year, he detected shortage of some of his bagged cocoa beans at the depot and conducted his own investigations.

Inspector Sallah said during the investigation, a witness in the case informed the Manager that Boateng had been approaching him to increase the figures on the waybill so that they could share the proceeds of the additional bags of cocoa.

According to the prosecutor, the Manager asked the witness to agree to Boateng’s suggestion any time he made the move.

On November 9, 2012, the accused requested the witness to prepare a waybill for 31 bags instead of 28 bags of cocoa beans, which the witness complied with.

At about 1800 hours on that day Boateng collected the money for the additional three bags of cocoa and gave the witness GH¢100 as his share.

The witness then handed the money to the Manager, and when stock was taken in the depot for cocoa purchased from September 2012 to February 2013 it was detected that 358 bags of cocoa beans worth GH¢75,896 were missing.

Inspector Sallah said the Manager lodged a complaint to the Police, and Boateng and Koranteng were arrested.

During interrogation, they mentioned Agyemang as their accomplice who was also arrested.