The Amasaman Circuit Court has ordered two drivers involved in the theft of a $108,000 excavator to open their defence.

The Court presided over by Ms Enid Marful-Sau said the Prosecution had established a prima facie case against them (established criminal charges) and therefore the need to answer the charges levelled against them.

Ali Zakary and Dabare Toffic, both drivers have been jointly charged for conspiring to steal the excavator, belonging to a businessman.

Zakary is facing an additional charge of stealing and Toffic is charged with abetment of crime. They have denied the charges in Court.

They are to be brought back to the Court on December 16, 2024.

Meanwhile, their alleged accomplices: Desmond Appiah, Ernest Addo, Hamidu Nashiru Yabre as well as two others only named Emma and Bash are still on the run.

Police Chief Inspector Nashiru Salifu earlier told the Court that Alhaji Ali Seidu was the complainant. He said Zakary lived at Ashaiman as Toffic lived at Afrancho, a suburb of Kumasi.

The complainant imported eight brand new long King excavators into the country and Naskorsi Limited was contracted to work on the freight formalities and transport same to a warehouse at Dobro, he said.

Chief Inspector Salifu said the freight forwarder cleared some of the containers- containing disassembled excavators at the Tema Harbour and went in search of a long trailer to transport the goods to the warehouse.

The Court heard that Zakary informed a staff of Naskorsi, also a witness in the case that he knew of a trailer driver (Appiah) that could transport one of the containers and gave Appiah’s contact to him.

On October 19, 2023, one of the containers containing the excavator valued at $108,000 was loaded onto a DAF 95 trailer with forged registration number GN 7252 –11, driven by Zakary, did not dispatch the item as in the evening when the rest of the seven had been deposited at the warehouse.

The prosecution said a formal complaint was lodged with the Police as Zakary’s phone had been switched off.

On October 26, 2023, police received information that the container had been sent to Kumasi. Chief Inspector Salifu said investigations revealed that Zakary, Toffic, Appiah and Addo were about to sell the excavator but luck eluded Zakary and Toffic and they were arrested whilst the rest escaped.