Stephen Kwabena Opuni is former CEO of Ghana Cocobod
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The prosecution handling the trial of former Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Cocoa Board, Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, and businessman Seidu Agongo, has dropped the charges against the two.

The duo was facing 27 charges, including defrauding by false pretences, willfully causing financial loss to the state, corruption by public officers, and contravention of the Public Procurement Act.

The case has been spanning from 2018 when the accused persons were charged with causing a financial loss of more than GH¢271 million to the state in a series of Lithovit foliar fertiliser transactions.

In court on Tuesday January 28, 2025, the prosecution led by State Attorney Enam Mensah told the High Court that they had been directed by the Attorney General to drop the charges against the accused persons. They therefore filed a notice of withdrawal citing Section 59 Act 30.

The presiding judge, Justice Aboagye Tandoh then acquitted and discharged the accused persons after granting the Prosecution’s application.

“Accordingly, the accused persons – Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, Seidu Agongo, and Agricult Ghana Limited – are all acquitted and discharged of all charges levelled against each one of them,” he declared.

Justice Tandoh further commended Dr Opuni and Seidu Agongo for their character and demeanour throughout the proceedings.

“I appreciate your commitment to come to court all the time. It demonstrates your belief in the rule of law and also your belief in your innocence. You have all been consistent and that has to be appreciated by those of us who believe in the rule of law,” he maintained.

Lead counsel for Dr Opuni, Samuel Cudjoe prayed the court for an order to release the passport of the former COCOBOD CEO and businessman Agongo which had been deposited with the CID since the inception of the case.

Background

Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni and Managing Director of Agrochemical firm, Agricult Ghana pleaded not guilty to 27 counts of offences including willfully causing GhȻ217.3 million financial loss to the state.

Per the prosecution’s case, the duo acted illegally in a series of Lithovit Liquid Fertilizer deals that cost the Ghana Cocoa Board losses amounting to GHC217.3 million.

They were thus granted a GH¢300,000.00 self-recognizance bail each.

The prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa closed its case after calling on seven witnesses from March 29, 2021.

The accused persons were directed to open their defence and the COCOBOD CEO did so on December 3, 2021, calling on 11 witnesses in total.

Businessman Seidu Agongo and his company Agricult (2nd and 3rd Accused) called on nine witnesses and he was still being cross-examined when the prosecution filed the notice to drop the charges.

The ninth witness, a Principal Research Scientist with the Nuclear and Allied Sciences at the Atomic Energy Ghana, Dr Samuel Akoto Bamford told the court that the report from the Ghana Standards Authority being relied on to Prosecute Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni and businessman Seidu Agongo was unreliable and lacks scientific basis.

By Laud Adu-Asare