General News of Wednesday, 13 June 2018

Source: classfmonline.com

Give Opuni documents in 7 days - Court orders AG

Former COCBOD CEO, Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni Former COCBOD CEO, Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni

An Accra High Court has ordered the Attorney General to supply all documents she intends to rely on in prosecuting former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Stephen Opuni and businessman Seidu Agongo, to their lawyers.

Counsel for the two had demanded that they be furnished with all the documents for the trial.

Class 91.3FM’s Joshua Quodjo-Mensah, who was in court on Wednesday, 13 June reported that the trial judge, Justice Clement Honyenuga ruled that the AG must furnish the defence lawyers with the documents within seven days.

The case has been adjourned to July 4.

Dr Opuni and Mr Agongo are facing 27 charges of willfully causing financial loss of GHS217 million 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) totaling GHS217million through sole-sourcing, the state claimed, adding that procurement procedures for sole-sourcing were not followed.