GH¢271m COCOBOD financial loss case: Witness subpoenaed to testify

The ninth defence witness in the ongoing trial of Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana COCO­BOD, has been subpoenaed to testify.

The witness, Mr Reginald Ad­uakwa, is a staff of the Standard Chartered Bank, Accra.

Counsel for Dr. Opuni, Mr. Samuel Codjoe, told the court presided over by Justice Abo­agye Tandoh yesterday, that the defense had already subpoenaed the witness and asked that the registrar of the court contact him (Mr. Aduakwa).

Meanwhile, Dr. Gilbert Anin Kwapong, the eighth defence wit­ness and former Executive Direc­tor of Cocoa Research Institute CRIG), completed his testimony and was discharged.

The COCOBOD trial had dragged on for more than six years. Justice Clement Jackson Honyenugah, a retired Supreme Court Judge, was the first trial judge until he went on retirement.

The case docket was later assigned to Justice Gyimah Boadi, who at the outset decided to conduct a fresh trial because of what he considered “suspicions and allegations” from the parties concerned.

Justice Boadi was subse­quently, transferred and the case was assigned to Justice Aboagye Tandoh.

Before then, the Attor­ney-General and Minister of Justice, Godred Yeboah Dame, appealed the decision of Justice Boadi to conduct a fresh trial, and later in a ruling, a three-member panel of judges overturned the decision to start the trial afresh.

In March 2018, the Attor­ney-General charged Dr. Opuni and Agongo with 27 counts for allegedly engaging in illegalities that caused a financial loss of GH¢271.3 million to the state and led to the distribution of sub-standard fertiliser to cocoa farmers.

Agongo is alleged to have used fraudulent means to sell sub-standard fertiliser to COCO­BOD for onward distribution to cocoa farmers, while Dr. Opuni is accused of facilitating the act by not allowing Agongo’s products to be tested and certified, as required by law.

The two accused have pleaded not guilty to all 27 charges and are on GH¢300,000 bail each.

The case has been adjourned to January 25.