Opuni Faces Court Today

The former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni is expected to appear before an Accra high court today.

Th embattled ex-COCOBOD boss has been dragged before the court for causing financial loss to the state to the tune of GH₵217,370,289.22.

Dr. Opuni is also in the dock with one Seidu Agongo, a businessman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Agricult Ghana Limited.

Family Defense

Even before Dr. Opuni appears in court this morning, his family members have reportedly mounted a spirited defense for him claiming the contracts were not carried out under his watch.

The family members say the said contracts were signed on July 25, 2013, long before Dr. Opuni was appointed to head the institution.

Spokesperson for the family, John Adu Jack at a news conference, on Thursday maintained that Opuni is only a victim of political persecution by the government.

“We are told that Dr. Opuni has colluded with Agricult Gh. Ltd. and one Mr. Agongo to defraud the State of huge sums of money through the supply of Lithovit fertilizer. It is inferred that Dr. Opuni had a personal interest in this transaction as though he brought the company from somewhere to apply for the contract. However, available documents suggest that the said application began way back 25th July, 2013, whilst Dr. Opuni was appointed to COCOBOD on 30th November 2013. Where lies the collusion then?”

“Again, a man we are told was taking about GH¢75,000 a month as salary is said to have taken a bribe of GH¢25,000 for awarding a contract worth millions of Cedis. How possible?”

He also said the allegations regarding the Lithovit Fertilizer contract are “mind-boggling.”

“We are being told that the said fertilizer is a poisonous chemical that can destroy cocoa trees. However, after applying the said fertilizer from 2014 and 2015 crop season, there was a yield of 966,444 metric tons of cocoa in 2016/2017 crop season, being the highest since 2010.”

John added “Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I believe the farmers here are the best judges about the Lithovit liquid fertilizer which is even on sale on the markets. Why this fertilizer is not withdrawn from the market but still allowed to continue killing the rest of our cocoa trees as has been alleged, leaves much to be desired…We believe that they are only trying to give the dog a bad name in order to hang it.”

27 Charges

The duo is to answer 27 charges, including defrauding by false pretenses, willfully causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, corruption by a public officer and contravention of the Public Procurement Act.

The ex-COCOBOD boss has been accused of “abetting Agongo and Agricult Ghana Ltd to defraud COCOBOD the sum of GH₵43,120,000 between January and November 2014.

He is also alleged to have abetted the businessman to defraud the state the sum of GH₵ 75,289,314.72 between November 2014 and November 2015.

Dr. Opuni who is also the former CEO of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is facing an additional charge of procuring “the supply of a substance described as ‘Lithovit Liquid Fertiliser’ using public funds without satisfying the prescribed conditions for single-source procurement” in February 2015.

“Stephen Kwabena Opuni, in February 2014 in Accra in the Greater Accra Region influenced the procurement process by misrepresenting facts to the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) in order to obtain unfair advantage in the award of contract to Agricult,” the Attorney-General charge sheet read.

The businessman, Seidu Agongo, on the other hand, is said to have between October 2015 and March 2016 with intent to defraud COCOBOD, obtained the consent of COCOBOD to part with the sum of GH₵98,935,974.50 by representing to COCOBOD that he would supply Lithovit Foliar Fertilizer from Germany for application by farmers on cocoa for the 2015/2016 cocoa season, a representation he knew to be false at the time of making it.

He is also alleged to have sold “misbranded” and “adulterated” fertilizer to COCOBOD.

Seidu Agongo has also been charged with money laundering – taking possession of the sum of GH₵75,289,314.72 while knowing it to be proceeds of crime.”

By: Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson/ thePublisher