Family of Dr Stephen Opuni, a former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) say he is innocent of the charges levelled against him.

Dr Opuni, businessman Seidu Agongo and AgriCult Ghana Company Limited, are facing 27 charges of willfully causing financial loss of GHS217million to the state, through three separate fertiliser supply contracts between 2014 and 2016.

The contracts were GHS43.1million (2013/2014 cocoa farming season), GHS75.3million (2014/2015 cocoa farming season) and GHS98.9million (2015/2016 cocoa farming season) totalling GHS217million through sole-sourcing, the state claimed, adding that procurement procedures for sole-sourcing were not followed.

According to the charges, the consignments of Lithovit Foliar were produced locally, contrary to an agreement between COCOBOD and AgriCult Ghana Company Limited that it be sourced from Germany.

Also, the Attorney General claims the fertilisers were manufactured without registration, thereby, flouting the Plants and Fertiliser Act 2010.

According to the state, Dr Opuni also took a bribe of GHS25,000 from Mr Agongo in October 2014 to facilitate the award of one of the contracts by misrepresenting facts to the Public Procurement Authority. The state also said the 2014 contract was awarded without any price quotation.

But spokesperson for Dr Opuni’s family, John Adu Jack at a news conference on Thursday, 22 March 2018 said Dr Opuni is facing political persecution.

“We are told that Dr Opuni has colluded with Agricult Gh. Ltd. and one Mr Agongo to defraud the State of huge sums of money through the supply of Lithovit fertiliser. It is inferred that Dr Opuni had a personal interest in this transaction as though he brought the company from somewhere to apply for the contract. However, available documents suggest that the said application began way back 25th July 2013, whilst Dr Opuni was appointed to COCOBOD on 30th November 2013. Where lies the collusion then?

“Again, a man we are told was taking about GHS75,000 a month as salary is said to have to take a bribe of GHC25,000 for awarding a contract worth millions of cedis. How possible?" the family head quizzed.

He also said the allegations being made with regards to the Lithovit Fertiliser contract are “mind-boggling.”

“We are being told that the said fertiliser is a poisonous chemical that can destroy cocoa trees. However, after applying the said fertilizer from 2014 and 2015 crop season, there was a yield of 966,444 metric tons of cocoa in 2016/2017 crop season, being the highest since 2010.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I believe the farmers here are the best judges about the Lithovit liquid fertiliser which is even on sale on the markets. Why this fertiliser is not withdrawn from the market but still allowed to continue killing the rest of our cocoa trees as has been alleged, leaves much to be desired…We believe that they are only trying to give the dog a bad name in order to hang it.”