Labourer jailed for theft at mine

Asamankese (E/R), June 21, GNA - A labourer, Zakari Osmanu, who found his way into the security area of the Ghana Consolidated Diamonds Limited (GCD) and stole some items has been sentenced to six years in hard labour by the Asamankese Circuit Court.

Osmanu pleaded guilty and was sentenced on his own plea. Prosecuting, Police Inspector S.A. Ntow, told the court, presided over by Mr S. S. Appiah that, on June 13, this year, the mines security personnel, while on foot patrols in the GCD area, sported Osmanu standing near the gate of the sorting office.

He said when he was asked what he was doing there; Osmanu could not give any reasonable explanation. He was then searched and items including a pair of pliers, a tester, a pair of tweezers, a small bottle containing diamond concentrates and another quantity of concentrates wrapped in a piece of paper were found in his pocket.

Inspector Ntow said Osumanu was then sent to the security office and a further search on him revealed two sorting goggles hidden in his pants.

The prosecutor said during investigations, he mentioned one Palooka as the person who took him to the GCD premises at about 0300 hours and gave him the items to keep after he had gone into the sorting office and returned with them.

Palooka was then arrested but immediately Osmanu saw him, he told the Police that he meant Palooma and not Palooka. He, however, said he did not know the house of the said Palooma.