Drivers accused of stealing excavator ordered to open defence
The Amasaman Circuit Court has ordered two drivers accused of stealing an excavator, belonging to a businessman.
The Court presided over by Ms Enid Marful-Sau said the prosecution had established criminal charges against accused.
Ali Zakary and Dabare Toffic, both drivers, have been jointly charged for conspiring to steal excavator, valued USD108, 000.00.
Zakary is facing additional charge of stealing and Toffic is charged with abetment of crime. They have denied the charges in Court.
They are expected back before Court on December 16, 2024.
Meanwhile their alleged accomplices: Desmond Appiah, Ernest Addo, Hamidu Nashiru Yabre as well as two others only named as Emma and Bash are still on the run.
Police Chief Inspector, Nashiru Salifu, told the Court that Alhaji Ali Seidu was the complainant.
He said Zakary lived at Ashaiman and Toffic lived at Afrancho, a suburb of Kumasi.
The prosecution said the complainant imported eight brand new long King excavators into the country, and Naskorsi Limited was contracted to work on the freight formalities and transport same to a warehouse at Dobro.
Chief Insp Salifu said the freight forwarder cleared some of the containers containing disassembled excavators at the Tema Harbour, and went in search of a long trailer to transport the excavators to a warehouse.
The Court heard that Zakary informed a staff of Naskorsi, also a witness in the case that he knew of a trailer driver (Appiah) who could transport one of the containers and gave Appiah’s contact to him.
Chief Insp Salifu said on October 19, 2023, one of the containers containing the excavator valued USD108,000 was loaded onto a DAF 95 trailer with forged registration number GN 7252 –11, driven by Zakary, but did not dispatch the containers to where seven others had been deposited at the warehouse.
The prosecution said a complaint was lodged with the police as Zakary’s phone had been switched off.
Chief Insp Salifu said police received information that the container had been taken to Kumasi.
The court heard that investigations revealed that Zakary, Toffic, Appiah and Addo were about to sell the excavator, but luck eluded them and they were arrested and the others escaped. —GNA
