Farmer in court for stealing cocoa

Kade, June 20. GNA-Kwasi Agyare, a 25-year-old farmer, on Friday appeared before the Kade District Magistrate Court charged with stealing fermented cocoa beans belonging to two cocoa farmers. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded in prison custody until July 3. Police Inspector S.A. Atsu prosecuting, told the court that on June 8, a witness in the case who shared a common boundary with the first complainant, Kwasi Appiah, visited his farm at Mmaampeh and detected that the first complainant's fermented cocoa beans valued at GHC 30 had been collected from the farm and deposited in his. He said the witness took the cocoa from his farm and sent it to a nearby village and quickly went and informed Appiah. The prosecutor said Appiah then proceeded to the nearby village where the witness kept the cocoa beans but he was told that the accused had gone for it.

When news went round about the theft of Appiah's coca beans, second complainant, Ama Ahinkwan, who also owned a farm at the same farming area, visited her farm and detected theft of her fermented cocoa beans valued at GHC 30.

On June 12, accused was arrested by the unit committee members of Akanteng, where both the complainants and the accused lived and escorted to the Osenase Police Station.

During Police investigations, the accused told the Police in his caution statement that he stole the cocoa beans from his father's farm, but when the father was contacted, he denied having detected any theft from his farm. The coca beans were retrieved in the course of investigations.