The 36-year-old woman at the centre of the expired Matador Corned Beef disguised as Exeter Corned Beef saga, Patience Kagbla, was yesterday put before an Accra Circuit Court for selling unwholesome products to unsuspecting consumers. The expired Corned Beef was re-branded and labelled as original Exeter (traditionally produced in Argentina) and sold at Makola and other markets. The accused person, who was put before a court presided over by Eric Kyei Baffuor, pleaded not guilty to the sale of unwholesome food and deception of customers. Patience has been granted a GH¢25,000 bail with three sureties, and ordered to report to the Police Headquarters twice a week while the case has been adjourned to February 28, 2011. After the charges were read, Ebenezer Ahiator, counsel for the accused person, noted that his client had been doing legitimate business, and observed that the imported items went through customs checkpoint among others before they arrived in the country. He said his client is “unlettered” and said he was surprised that custom officers among others did not detect the said expired goods when it was going through checkpoints and that at the right time he would prove the innocence of his client. The prosecutor, Aidan Dery, who presented the facts of the case, stated that on January 28, 2011, officials of the Food and Drugs Board arrested a certain Michael Kissi for selling fake and expired Exeter Corned Beef at Okaishie Makola No.1 Market in Accra. He stated that five cartons of the two labels of beef were seized for investigation and they were found to be re-branded Exeter Corned Beef which had expired on December 31, 2008. He said the re-branded products were given a new date and are now to expire on December 31, 2011. The accused person was consequently arrested and he promised to assist the police to arrest those who supplied him with the products. The police officer noted that on February 2, 2011, a witness in the case who is also the mother of suspect Kissi, spotted Patience Kagbla, who arrived from Togo and had come to Okaishie to take money from her creditors. Kagbla was arrested with the help of some persons and handed over to the police and suspect Kissi identified the lady as the one who supplied him the goods. Mr.Derry, a deputy superintendent of police, said the accused admitted the offence but said she also bought the items from someone in Togo and was ready to assist the police to arrest the said supplier. The Food and Drugs Board had announced that with the support of the police, its officials had arrested Patience, who is the second person in the chain of the distribution of the fake Exeter Corned Beef. Patience confirmed that she supplied 10 cartons of the fake Exeter Corned Beef to Michael Kissi. Kissi had been earlier arrested and brought before court. It would be recalled that the FDB issued an alert on fake Exeter Corned Beef on the market on Monday, 31st January, 2011. Source: Daily Guide