2 Charged for stealing manufacturing chemicals

Two persons have appeared before the Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing 63 drums of hydro colouring chemicals worth more than nine thousand dollars, which is used in the manufacturing of paint.

The accused persons, Felix Nortey, who is an employee of Azar Chemical Industries Limited, and Bakumben Kwasi Benjamin, who is with G4S, a private security company, have been charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit crime, a criminal offence and stealing.

Two accomplices of the crime, Fuseini Isahaka and Joseph Laryea, are said to be on the run.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty.

The court, presided over by Mrs Afia Owusua Appiah, granted the accused persons bail in the sum of GH¢60,000 with two sureties.

Facts

The facts of the case, as presented by the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Samuel Ahiabor, were that the Director of Public Affairs of Azar Chemical Industries, Simon Sackitey, since June last year, realised that the company was experiencing some theft in the warehouse of their south industrial area branch.

On January 18 this year, the prosecutor said Bakumben, who is a security guard at Azar, met with Nortey, who came back to the work premises after closing at 5:00pm. They, with the named accomplices, stole the 63 drums of the manufacturing chemicals.

“The accused persons with their accomplices loaded the drums and drove them away in a mini KIA truck”, the prosecutor said.

The act was, however, captured on a CCTV camera installed at the warehouse. Sackitey, who is also the complainant of the case, watched the footage and saw the accused persons together with their accomplices stealing the chemicals.

Sackitey reported the case to the police on February 17 this year and the accused persons were arrested.

Upon police investigations, the accused persons mentioned the names of the two accomplices who aided them in the act. They also mentioned one Kwasi Buadu as the one they sold the chemicals to but refused to lead the police to arrest him.

The case has been adjourned to March 29 this year.