Opuni Trial: EOCO was not distracted by any committee investigations - Witness

Paul Adjei Gyang, a Senior EOCO Officer, says his outfit was not distracted by any investigation conducted through a committee set up by COCOBOD.

He said, “They were on the task as per the mandate given them by the Executive Director of EOCO.”

Gyang, who is a Senior Staff at the Operations Unit of EOCO and a subpoenaed witness for Seidu Agongo, the Chief Executive Officer of Agricult Ghana Limited, was answering questions in a further cross-examination led by Samuel Codjoe, Counsel for Dr Stephen Opuni, a former the Chief Executive of COCOBOD.

Dr Opuni, Agongo, and his Company are facing 27 charges, including defrauding by false pretence, willfully causing financial loss to the State, money laundering, and corruption by a public officer in contravention of the Public Procurement Act.

They have both pleaded not guilty to the charges and are on a GH¢300,000.00 self-recognisance bail each.

The witness said the investigations conducted by Dr Yaw Adu Ampomah, a former Deputy Chief Executive of COCOBOD in Charge of Agronomy and Quality Control, were purely an institutional enquiry by COCOBOD.

He said that during their investigations, he remembered they invited the staff of the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) and some farmers who used the lithovit fertiliser.

Gyang said it was COCOBOD who introduced all the farmers to them, where they were interrogated and interviewed for the efficacy of the lithovit fertiliser.

He confirmed that according to COCOBOD, the farmers have used the lithovit fertiliser on mature cocoa seedlings on their farms.

“I can remember we interviewed only two farmers, and I should think they gave EOCO their statements,” he added.

The witness said, if his memory served him right, “We interrogated and interviewed the Board Chairman of COCOBOD in the person of Daniel Ohene Agyekum.”

He said that during their investigation, they got to know that Ohene Agyekum’s tenure as Board Chairman had expired, and Hackman Owusu Agyeman replaced him.

He said he was aware that one of the farmers, Dr Ampomah suggested for interrogation [was] his fellow Board Member, Nana Obeng Akrofi, and he gave a statement to EOCO.

The Counsel said he believed Nana Akrofi was illiterate and could not read and write, and he could not remember whether Nana Akrofi was an illiterate who could not read and write.

The statement of Nana Akrofi was presented to the witness to identify, saying the content was explained to him and was asked to identify the signature of the people who explained the statement to him, but the witness said, “It looks familiar, but I cannot attach a name to it.”

The witness confirmed the statement of Nana Akrofi, indicating that lithovit was not effective.

He said another farmer interviewed was Emmanuel Obeng, who informed the investigative team that the lithovit foliar liquid fertiliser was effective.

He said that at the time they transferred the docket to the Police, they had not concluded on the subject matter and from the evidence that they gathered, farmers indicated that lithovit increased their yields.

The witness said Dr Franklin Amoah, a witness in the trial, was being investigated for causing loss to State property, not causing financial loss to the State, and EOCO had not concluded on the matter involving Dr Amoah; hence, he was not charged with the offence.