Sam George, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram Constituency has stated that, the New Patriotic Party by charging the former boss of COCOBOD, Dr Stephen Opuni with crimes including what they describe as he willfully caused financial loss to the State are meant to divert attention of Ghanaians from the real issues.

Speaking Accra based radio station Class FM, the MP stated that, Dr Opuni while serving the nation under the COCOBOD has done a lot for the cocoa sector for which he deserved to be praised but the current government is looking at the other way.

Dr Opuni while working at the COCOBOD had introduced various changes in the sector, stating among them the free fertiliser policy and the cocoa-roads.

He accused the Akufo Addo administration saying that when the government wants to cover up for any corrupt scandal act or for acts of nepotism, it quickly clings to diverting the attention of Ghanaians towards a different issue to cover up.

He said this while pin pointing some of the scandals in the current government making reference to the brouhaha in BOST and COPEC.He said, “The MD for BOST has been accused yet again for the umpteenth time in this administration of gross acts of corruption. You remember that when he was accused previously, my colleague in parliament, honourable Ken Agyapong dared anybody in the NPP including the president to try and touch him and all hell will break lose in the NPP. Few days later, the president cleared him of all wrong doing.

“Again, he’s been accused of gross financial malfeasance by COPEC and again you can see the diversionary tactics of the government trying to bring up this Opuni case which will amount to nothing. I mean this case about Dr Opuni and a private businessman Seidu Agongo is really much ado about nothing.”

Mon. Sam George commented that the current government since taking over office in January last year have halted the activities of contractors and asked them to leave their jobs assigned to them under the Mahama administration all because the government does not see the need for them .

He said, "This government 15 months down the line have demobilised all contractors and asked them to leave because you think they are phantom projects and you think that you want to witch-hunt some people. The rains have come already and we are about to enter the second season of rain under this administration and the prima sealing and base structure on most of those roads have been washed off and eventually when this government asks those contractors to go back to site, you think that the cost of the roads are going to be the same? There is going to be variations in some instances as high as 25 per cent. Who has willfully occasioned that loss to the Ghanaian taxpayer, is it not this current CEO and the President.?"

He added that, President Akufo Addo and the current boss of the COCOBOD, if the records should be set straight are the ones who should stand trial at the court for stopping the construction of the cocoa roads, an act which he indicated to be the actual cause of financial loss to the state.

He said, “Look, if anybody has to stand trial in our current Ghanaian courts, it is the current CEO of COCOBOD and His Excellency the President himself, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for willfully causing financial loss to the state…Cocoa road contracts were awarded and many of these contracts had gotten to prima seal stage, sub base structures had been put in place before the loss of the election by the NDC in 2016."

Ghanaguardian.com