TRADER BEFORE COURT OVER FAKE GOODS (Back Page)

Story: Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Sunyani

A 40-YEAR-OLD trader based in Tamale, Kpema Alhassan, has appeared before the Techiman Circuit Court, presided over by Mr G.A. Kwasi Kumah, for dealing in fake crocodile machetes which are embossed with “made in Ghana” logo.
The accused, charged with possessing fake goods under Section 161 of Act 29/60, pleaded not guilty and the court granted him bail in the sum of ¢200 million with one surety to reappear on November 30, 2007, and he is to report to the police once every week.
After going through the facts presented by an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mahama Abdulia, the presiding judge observed that after the police had concluded their investigations, they should forward the docket to the Attorney-General’s (AG) office for advice, since according to him, the prosecution could prefer a better charge.
The prosecutor, in presenting the facts, noted that Crocodile Matchetes was a company based in Tema which had an exclusive right to manufacture machetes and with the crocodile as its trade mark, operated its business between Ghana and Togo.
Of late, ASP Abdulai said the company detected that there were different brands of machetes in the market, especially in Techiman, with the crocodile as the trade mark on them and that those machetes looked inferior.
According to the prosecutor, the company, therefore, decided to conduct its own investigations during which the management came across the accused in possession of about 430 pieces of the product which bore the trade mark of the company and embossment of “made in Ghana” on October 24, 2007.
He said the company, therefore, reported the case to the police, and the accused was subsequently arrested, and upon interrogation, Alhassan claimed that he imported the machetes from Togo and showed receipts covering payment.
The presiding judge, on learning that the accused had imported the goods from Togo, and the fact that he had receipts covering them, questioned the prosecution whether the police had gone further to cross-check at the borders, especially with Custom Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) officials to ascertain the veracity of his claim.
It was when the prosecutor had answered in the negative that the judge suspected that there was more to what he had heard and that possibly, there were others behind the deal, hence the need to forward the docket to the AG’s office for further direction.