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A disease control officer from La Bawaleshie Polyclinic, Lord Pabitey, has been placed in pre-trial detention by an Accra circuit court in legal custody to reappear on April 1.
The defendant who appeared in court on Friday is one of the suspects arrested after stealing and selling 26 vials of COVIDSHIELD vaccines.
Last week, Homeland Security arrested three people for their alleged involvement in the theft and sale of COVISHIELD vaccines belonging to the Government of Ghana.
Stephen Dzisenu, a 37-year-old Disease Control Officer from Greater Accra Regional Hospital, is said to have stolen 36 vials of COVIDSHIELD and Lord Pabitey, a Disease Control Officer from La Bawalashie Polyclinic, allegedly also stole 26 vials of COVIDSHIELD.
Cosmos Allotey, a 42-year-old occupational safety and health officer, is said to have received the stolen COVIDSHIELD from Pabitey and Dzisenu.
Allotey allegedly administered the vaccines at a cost of GHS 200.00 per injection.
Joseph Knight Gaisie, a project assistant and former laboratory technician at Greater Accra Regional Hospital, is also in custody for complicity in crime.
Dzisenu, Gaisie and Allotey – were placed in preventive detention on March 19 by the same court to reappear on April 1.
During today’s session, Police Chief Inspector Simon Apiorsornu said they were in court for Pabitey to be detained pending further investigations.
On March 19 of this year, Police Detective Sergeant Frederick Sarpong, the prosecutor, prayed to the Court chaired by Ms. Afua Owusuaa Appiah not to accept the defendants’ pleas, as the investigations were ongoing and the efforts to arrest other suspects.
The charges against them were not read to them. However, the facts of the case were read in a public hearing.
Police Detective Sergeant Sarpong said accused persons, when granted bail, may not only interfere with investigations, but also with other witnesses.
He said that as of the events, other people involved had not yet been arrested and asked the Court to return them.
The defendants’ lawyers requested bail, saying that their clients were servants of the Republic and that they would not interfere with the investigations.
The facts presented by the prosecution were that the complainants were national security agents.
The prosecution said that during the first week of March this year, the operatives received intelligence that some health officials had been stealing and selling the COVID-19 vaccines brought by the Government of Ghana.
Detective Sergeant Sarpong said that through intelligence, Allotey’s name was mentioned and her phone number was obtained as the one who injects the COVID-19 vaccines for a fee.
He said that the whistleblower contacted Allotey and feigned interest in buying some of the COVID-19 vaccines, for which he was charged GH ¢ 200.00 per vaccination.
The prosecution said that on March 16, 2021, Allotey was arrested when he was invited to Labone in Accra to inject the complainant at a rate of GH ¢ 200.00.
He said that when Allotey was checked in, they found eight vials of COVIDSHIELD, eight of used COVIDSHIELD, 173 pieces of unused 0.5 ml injection syringes and cotton.
The prosecution said that during questioning, Allotey mentioned Dzisenu and Pabitey as his source.
He said Allotey directed Homeland Security agents to arrest Dzisenu and Gaisie.
The prosecution said Allotey, in its investigation warning statement, admitted to purchasing 36 of the vials of the government-obtained COVIDSHIELD vaccine at a cost of GH ¢ 18,000.00.
According to him, Allotey further said that he sold 20 of the COVIDSHIELD vials at a cost of GH ¢ 16,000.00 and then returned 15 vials to Dzisenu.
The prosecution said Allotey said it also purchased 26 vials of COVIDSHIELD from Pabitey at the cost of GH ¢ 4,800.00.
Sarpong said that Dzisenu in his warning statement named Gaisie as the one who helped and facilitated the sale of the CONVIDSHIELD vaccines stolen from Allotey.
— GNA
