Accra, Aug. 16, GNA- Two Chinese nationals have appeared before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing 10 containers of steel products valued at $392,113.15 at Tema Port.
Yi Zheng Annie, aka Shen Na, a businesswoman and Lu Xuefeng, an Architect, are said to have presented to company an invoice of GHC270,000 to Awarriors Limited as money needed for clearing the 10 Containers of steel products.
The two, after collecting the money, informed the company that the goods had been confiscated by National Security for auctioning and presented a fake auction slip to the company.
Police investigations revealed the accused persons with the assistance of others now at large cleared the containers on April 26, 2022.
Annie and Xuefeng have been jointly charged with conspiracy to commit crime namely stealing and stealing.
They have denied the charges and the court presided over by Mrs Ellen Ofei Ayeh has admitted them to bail in the sum of GHC3million each with three sureties each one to be justified.
According to the court, the sureties are to be gainfully employed and the accused persons are to deposit their passports at the Registry of the court.
The accused persons were further directed to be reporting to the Police every Tuesdays and Thursdays.
It further ordered the prosecution to file disclosures within 28 days and adjourned the matter to September 9. 2022.
Meanwhile Annie has refunded GHC100,000 to the complainant when the matter was called.
Chief Inspector Isaac Anquandah, who led prosecution, narrated that the complainant is the Administrative Manager of Awarriors Limited, Ghana. Accused persons reside in Accra.
Chief Inspector Anquandah said on February 28, 2022, Awarriors Company Limited imported ten 20-footer containers of steel products valued at $392, 113.15 equivalent of GHC3,136, 960 from China to Ghana for their business operations and handed over the bill of lading to Annie who was a majority Shareholder of El-Vice International Company Limited Ghana to clear the goods at the Tema Port.
The prosecution said Annie then provided an invoice of GHC270,000 to the complainant’s company to help clear the goods.
It said the complainant paid GHC270,000 to Annie so she clears the goods.
A few days later, the prosecutor said the complainant enquired from Annie the situation in relation to the clearance of the goods, but she informed the complainant that the goods had been confiscated by some officials of National Security during the existing process and she needed some time to rectify the challenge.
It said Annie later presented an auction slip to the complainant that the goods had been auctioned by the State.
According to Prosecution, checks from the Port, however, revealed that the auction slip was forged by Annie.
The complainant reported the matter to the Police and on August 11, 2022, Annie was picked up.
During interrogation, the prosecution said Annie disclosed that the auction slip was given to her by Xuefeng.
On August 12, 2022, the Prosecutor said Xuefeng was also arrested at the Tema Port, and he also indicated that he was the one who received the Bill of Lading from Annie.
According to the Prosecutor, Xuefeng further stated that the Bill of Lading was given to a Nigerian for a ransom of GHC270,000.
Additionally, Xuefeng said he forged the auction slip.
The prosecution said Police investigations showed that the 10 containers of steel products were cleared by Maximum Logistics Limited from the Tema Port on April 26, 2022, with the assistance of the accused persons and others at large.
Source: Ghana News Agency
