Ms. Cotton donated $160,000 to two American churches

Chronicle has learnt that Miss Juliet R. Cotton, a.k.a. Woodward, the African-American lady at the center of the Aveyime Rice Project scandal, donated $160,216 to two churches in the United States. The churches are Gospel Tabernacle and the Lord's Tabernacle.

Documents sighted by the Chronicle also revealed that she spent over $26,000, part of the government guaranteed loan for the development of the project, on mortgages relating to her, her friends and family.

Additionally Ms. Juliet R. Cotton bought three vehicles, namely Autoram, Mercedes and a Troncalli Jaguar, which were valued at over $160,000.

Chronicle gathered that a company, Agri-Tech, which was said to have supplied agricultural machinery to the Aveyime Rice Project worth $12million, never existed.

According to an affidavit, dated 1st October, 1999, sighted by the Chronicle, which was sworn by Mr. James McGarrh, acting on the instructions of Ms. Juliet R. Cotton, registered a company in Tennessee called Agric-Tech as sole proprietorship to handle the purchase of farm equipment and render other services for Quality Grain Company (Ghana) Ltd, with the understanding that such fees would be split between himself, Ms. Cotton, and Mr. Oscar Hudson, a director of Quality Grain Company Incorporated.

Mr. James McGarrh said he used his home address for the company, which did not have any employees.

He said in order to avoid conflicts of interest and to avoid non-affiliation provisions in the loan agreement, which financed Quality Grain Company Ghana Ltd., he was asked to resign as Vice President of Quality Grain Company Inc. and to continue to hold his share of Quality Grain Company Inc. when he set up Agri-Tech.

Mr. McGarrh said on the instructions and demand of Ms. Cotton, he signed blank purchase orders and invoice on Agri-Tech's letterheads, so that she could use those at her convenience to present as account payable to financial institutions, including South Trust Bank of Atlanta, for services supposedly provided by Agric-Tech.

He said to the best of his knowledge, based upon Ms. Cotton's submission of Agric-Tech, invoices of over $12million were wire transferred into the accounts of Agric-Tech, which Ms. Cotton in turn transferred into the accounts of Quality Grain Company Inc.

He revealed that to the best of his knowledge Agric-Tech did not perform any services or purchase any equipment for or on behalf of Quality Grain Company Inc. or Quality Grain Company (Ghana) Ltd.