Ghana: Former COCOBOD CEO Stephen Opuni Charged for Causing Financial Loss to State

Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni

Ghana’s Attorney General has filed 27 charges including a charge of causing financial loss to the state against former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni.

He is being sued together with one Seidu Agongo, and Agricult Ghana Limited, beneficiaries of a supposed fraudulent contract from COCOBOB worth Forty Three Million One Hundred and Twenty Thousand (Ghc43, 120,000).

The contract in question was initiated between 2013 and 2016.

In all, the defendants will be answering Twenty-Seven charges including abetment of crime, defrauding by false pretence, conspiracy to commit crime and willfully causing financial loss to the state.

According to the suit, Mr. Agongo and Agricult Limited falsely obtained the amount between 2013 and November 2014 by representing COCOBOD to supply Lithovit Follar Fertilizer from Germany for application by farmers on cocoa for the 2013/2013  cocoa season.

The suit said ” Mr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni between November 2014 and November 2015 in Accra in the Greater Accra Region, abbeted Seidu Agongo and Agricult Ghana Limited to defraud Ghana COCOBOD  of the sum of Ghc 75, 289, 314.72.”

Mr. Opuni, who was relieved of his post in January 2017, had his assets including his accounts frozen by the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) in February that same year.

African Eye Report/Citifmonline

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