Five face stealing charge

Accra (Greater Accra), 25 May,

Five persons including two drivers were today brought before an Accra community tribunal charged with stealing. Kwabena Beesi and Adjei Adjitey, the drivers, Samuel Mensah and Michael Ashong, both printers and Aryikwei Armah, a mason, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to steal and stealing. They were each granted two milluion cedis bail to reappear on June 24. Police Inspector Alex Yartey Tawiah told the tribunal chaired by Mr. Kwadwo Owusu that Mr. Robert Sarpong, a Ghanaian professional footballer in Malaysia, arrived home for a short holiday.

The prosecutiion said on April 24, Mr. Sarpong boarded a taxi driven by Beesi from Odorkor to Kwame Nkrumah Circle. On the way, the four others boarded the taxi. The prosecution said the four accused forcifully brought Mr. Sarpong down and in the ensuring struggle, they snatched his purse containing 300 dollars and 500 Deutsche marks and drove away. Mr. Sarpong hired another taxi which caught up with Beesi's car at the Obetsebi Lamptey's circle and Mr. Sarpong got all them arrested, except Armah. The purse was retrieved but was found to be empty. It took the police two days to arest Armah from his hide out at Odorkor, the prosecution added. gri.