Malian before tribunal for fictitious trading

Accra (Greater Accra) 14 Jan '99

Alhaji Issa Traore, a Malian trader, yesterday appeared before an Accra circuit tribunal charged with fictitious trading involving 26.9 million cedis. Troare pleaded not guilty and was granted a 20 million-cedi bail to reappear on January 15. The tribunal, chaired by Mrs Elizabeth Anderson Yeboah, heard that in 1994, Wing Commander I.A. Abbey, of the Ghana Air Force, took part in a United Nation's Peace-Keeping operations in Rwanda and later returned to Ghana with two rice shelling machines and two generators. The prosecutor said in May, last year, Wing Commander was introduced to the accused person who said he could sell the items in Mali for 26.8 million cedis and his request was granted. The accused took Wing Commander Abbey to the Mali Embassy to arrange for the payment of the items, with the trade attache but did not meet him at the office . Accused left the country with the items, promising that even if he fails to come back to Ghana in a month's time, the embassy would pay him the money. The prosecutor said when the accused was not coming, Wing Commander Abbey contacted the embassy and the trade attache denied any knowledge of the deal. The accused was later lured into Ghana and arrested after he had admitted that he sold the items and bought 26 cows for the complainant. He could however, not produce the cows, the prosecution said.