Dr Opuni accused of expending $175,000 on house gate

The Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU) is wondering how a petition filed at the Attorney General’s Department and the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) over Dr Stephen Opuni's management of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has not received hearing.

The Union’s Executive Secretary, Solomon Kotei, said members of ICU at COCOBOD cannot wait for the case to be called by CHRAJ and the Attorney General.

COCOBOD’s Chief Executive Officer is under fire from some of his workers, who accuse him of misappropriating funds.

A demonstration was staged on Thursday, May 12 for his dismissal.

Though some staff at COCOBOD have dissociated themselves from the demonstration and a subsequent march to the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Kotei, who led the demonstrating workers, said Dr Opuni’s actions require immediate investigation.

“Tony Fofie, the former Chief Executive occupied that for barely four months,” he said about the official residence of Dr Opuni.

“Now they gave the place to Stephen Opuni and renovation that has been done there is running over GH¢600, 000,” Mr Kotei told TV3’s Daniel Opoku on Friday, May 13.

“The gate alone is $175,000. His travel expenses alone...one trip caused the COCOBOD over $24,000.”

‘Punitive tranfers’

He explained that “if Dr Stephen Opuni had agreed to come to table for us to discuss, then there will be a focus as to which direction we will be going”.

The labour activist said Dr Opuni imposed “punitive transfers” as a result of staff raising questions about his style of leadership.

He cited staff of the marketing and audit departments as victims of Dr Opuni’s 'punitive tranfers'.

Separately, the Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Baba Jamal, has assured that government will see to resolving the issues.

The member of Ghana’s parliament says he will be part of the dispute resolution team.