A pastor and five others have been brought before an Accra Circuit Court charged with stealing and abetment. Isaac Asamoah, driver, Owusu Peter, driver, and Comfort Aboagye, trader, allegedly conspired to steal more than 600 bags of rice belonging to one Comfort Wudu, a trader.
Joyce Barnor, trader, and Prophet David Banfo, pastor, allegedly aided and abetted in the commitment of the crime, by offering their house as warehouse for the stolen bags of rice. Maku Victoria, a trader, on the other hand, dishonestly bought some of the stolen bags of rice and sold them. Prophet David Banfo, whose house was used as a warehouse, gladly opened his gate for Comfort Aboagye and one Ofosu Ohene, in the middle of the night, for them to reload the bags of rice into another truck to different locations
The case was reported to the police, and Isaac Asamoah, Owusu Peter, Comfort Aboagye and Maku Victoria were arrested, however, Joyce Barnor and Prophet David Banfo reported themselves to the police upon a publication. Isaac Asamoah, Owusu Peter, and Comfort Aboagye pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit crime and stealing. Joyce Barnor and Prophet David Banfo are facing the charge of abetment of crime, and Maku Victoria is facing the charge of dishonestly receiving.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charges leveled against them before the court presided over by Ms Audrey Koucouvie-Tay. They have all been granted bail in the sum of GH�150,000, with three sureties each. The facts of the case are that on March 25, 2014, the complainant contracted one Nana Yaw, who is a transport agent and a witness in the case, to assist her with a vehicle to convey rice from her warehouse in Tema to Takoradi in the Western Region.
The Prosecutor, ASP Assor, told the court that the witness, as a result, contracted Isaac Asamoah, who also engaged Owusu Peter for the job, and in the process, conspired with one Yusif Abass and Ofosu Ohene, who are now at large, about the contract. According to him, the complainant again contacted Comfort Aboagye to assist her get a warehouse to offload the rice, where, she in turn, contacted Joyce Barnor for assistance, who also ended up contacting Prophet David Banfo to allow his house to be used as a temporary warehouse.
He said Owusu Peter, who was in charge of a DAF truck with registration number AW 831-11, sent the goods to Prophet David Banfo�s house at Dome and discharged the goods under the supervision of Comfort Aboagye and Ofosu Ohene. The Prosecutor stated that during the night of that same day, Comfort Aboagye and Ofosu Ohene brought a truck, and with the help of some people in the neighbourhood, reloaded the rice into the truck, and sent them to different locations in Accra and Tema.
He narrated that the case was reported to the Achimota Mile 7 Police, where Peter Owusu was arrested, and who, in turn, led the police to Prophet David Banfo�s house at Dome. Upon reaching the house, they only saw traces of grains of rice on the compound. According to him, investigations revealed that it was Comfort Aboagye and Ofosu Ohene who initially went and carted 600 bags of rice away, and later came for the rest.
�On March 27, 2013, 140 bags of rice were retrieved from one Ernest Danso�s room at Dome Pillar 2, and handed over to the complainant for safe-keeping. On March 29, 2013, Comfort Aboagye was arrested, and initially denied knowledge of the offence, but later admitted having accepted 50 bags of rice from her business partner, Ofosu Ohene, to be used to pay a debt he owed.
�She allegedly sold the 50 bags of rice at a total cost of GH�1,500, and promised to refund the money, but failed to do so,� the Prosecutor stressed. ASP Assor told the court that the police, as result, gave Comfort Aboagye enough time to assist them arrest Ofosu Ohene, but to no avail, adding that a cash amount of GH�1000 was retrieved from Owusu Peter as the payment he received from Comfort Aboagye, after he discharged the rice at Dome.
�On January 7, 2014, Prophet David Banfo and Joyce Barnor eventually surrendered themselves to the police after publication. Prophet David Banfo admitted permitting his house to be used as a warehouse by Comfort Aboagye. �On February 26, 2014, a driver, Babaru Fuseni, a witness in the case, led the police to the store and warehouse of Maku Victoria at Madina Zongo, but none of the complainant�s rice were found there when a search was conducted,� he added.
According to the Prosecutor, she was all the same arrested, based on the evidence of Babaru Fuseini, as the one who conveyed 220 bags of African rice to her on March 25, 2013, and was paid GH�220 for his transport service.
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