COCOBOD boss fights massive severance package fraud

The Herald, has landed on reports detailing attempts by some former staff of the Ghana Cocoa Board, who were retrenched some 25 years ago, to dupe the state.

The retrenched staff are believed to be working with some members of the present management and have hugely inflated their numbers to get the COCOBOD led by Joseph Boahene-Aidoo, to cough up some outrageous figures to settle them.

From about 500 retrenched staff, the number has shot up to the 7000, and it is believed many names have been included by the leadership of the workers, as well as some management members to pocket illegal money from the state institution, The Herald has been hinted.

This paper is informed that attempt by Mr Boahene-Aidoo, to have the proper thing done, has been met by resistance from the retrenched workers, who rather claim they are being shortchanged by their former employer.

The workers of COCOBOD, claim they were retrenched in 1993 and 1994, without compensation after government restructured the company.

On Monday, March 2, they boycotted a validation exercise by COCOBOD in Koforidua- Eastern Region.

Discussions towards paying their redundancy and severance packages, according to The Herald’s sources, have been on for some time now.

It has many times been stalled, because of the outrageous numbers which keep increasing with a change of management and board anytime there is a change of government.

This paper is also informed that, the case has traveled through various spheres of the court system and before the exit of Dr. Stephen Opuni management and Ohene Agyekum led board, there was an appeal pending on the matter contesting a decision by one Justice Essel.

The retrenched workers The Herald learnt at the time only did not refuse to show up in court, but also attempts to have them submit documents bearing records on their employment, date of retrenchment etc, were also met with resistance, provoking suspicion among the management and the board at the time.

So grave was the issue that The Herald is informed a legal officer of COCOBOD, came under the raider of management for working in the interest of the retrenched workers and was not interested in the numbers they had presented.

At the Koforidua meeting, the aggrieved retrenched workers, alleged that the present COCOBOD, has deviated from the agreed requirements and modalities for the validation exercise which could lead to disqualification of many of its members, some of whom are deceased, but represented by their children and spouses.

The exercise was marred by anger and raining of curses on the officials for allegedly attempting to shortchange them.

According to a Star FM report, the former workers of COCOBOD, numbering about 7000, have been battling COCOBOD for the past 26 years for retrenching them without paying their redundancy and severance packages.

The media report claimed that the Supreme Court, ruled on behalf of the affected farmers in 2005, but said COCOBOD, later appealed for review, however, the case was withdrawn for out of court settlement.

The CEO of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahene Aidoo, reportedly instituted a committee to reach an amicable settlement with the members of the Association of Retrenched Staff of Ghana COCOBOD.

After reaching an agreement with the Association for payment of the packages, it was also agreed for a validation exercise to be conducted.

The Validation team on Monday, March 2, 2020, started work at COCOBOD office in Koforidua, but events turned chaotic after many members of the Association, failed to provide the tall list of documents demanded by the validation team.

The frustrated former staff of COCOBOD mostly aged began to agitate, forcing their leadership to call for a total boycott of the exercise.