It is the case of the Attorney-General (A-G) that Dr Opuni purchased liquid Lithovit Foliar Fertiliser (LFF) to be used on cocoa, although it was never tested by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), a division of COCOBOD mandated with the testing of all fertilisers and machinery for the cocoa sector.

According to the A-G, the fertiliser which was tested by CRIG was LFF in powdery form and not liquid form.

ALSO: Audio: NABCO recruiting people without certificates – Former MCE

Lawyers for Dr Opuni have, however, disputed the claims of the A-G, insisting that the LFF that CRIG tested was in a liquid form and not powdery.

In March, 2018, the Attorney-General (A-G) charged Dr Opuni, who was the CEO of COCOBOD from November 2013 to January 12, 2018, and a businessman, Seidu Agongo, for allegedly causing financial loss of Gh?271.3million to the state.

The two were slapped with 27 charges for allegedly engaging in illegalities in the a series of fertiliser transactions which led to the procurement and distribution of substandard fertiliser to farmers.

Dr Opuni and Agongo have, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges and have been granted bail in the sum of Gh?300,000 each by the Accra High Court.

MORE: Video: ‘Bloody land’, ‘Cleansed land’ earn Seth Kwame Boateng Peace Award

Powdery or liquid fertiliser?

During Wednesday’s cross-examination of the first prosecution witness, Dr Franklin Manu Amoah, counsel for Dr Opuni, Mr Samuel Cudjoe, sought to make a strong case that CRIG indeed tested liquid LFF and not a powdery LFF.

Counsel argued that it was only Dr Amoah who claims that the LFF tested was in powdery form.

He said other scientists at CRIG such as Mr A.A. Afrifa , a former head of the Soil Science Department at CRIG, and Dr Anim Kwapong, a former head of CRIG, had maintained that the LFF tested was in liquid form.

In response, Dr Amoah refuted that CRIG tested liquid LFF, and explained that in 2013, COCOBOD forwarded an LFF in powdery form which was from Germany to CRIG for testing.

He insisted that it was that powdery form of LFF that CRIG recommended to COCOBOD for purchase and not the liquid LFF that COCOBOD purchased from Agongo’s company, Agricult Ghana Limited.

Certificate

The discussion then shifted to the certificate that CRIG issued for the LFF that it recommended to COCOBOD.

Below are excerpts of the cross-examination.

Samuel Cudjoe: Have you issued any certificate for Lithovit Foliar Fertiliser?

MORE: ‘Killer’ port charges will send NPP to opposition – Ken Agyapong cries [Audio]

Dr Amoah: Yes, the LFF I issued the certificate for was in powdery form and it was from Germany with the patent R .We recommended that it should be applied at a rate of 50g in 11 litres. Liquid fertiliser can never be measured in grams. If it was liquid it would have been measured in volumes.

Samuel Cudjoe: So the certificate is for powdery Lithovit Foliar fertilizer?

Dr Amoah: Yes my Lord.

Samuel Cudjoe: Read wat is on the certificate

Dr Amoah read the certificate which shows that CRIG had recommended to COCOBOD an LFF. The certificate showed the various components of the LFF.

Samuel Cudjoe: Show me where on the certificate that shows that the Lithovit Foliar Fertiliser was powdery?

READ: The 100-year-old death-row inmate seeking pardon

Dr Amoah explained that the certificate only showed the source and the chemical components of the LFF, and that it was the test report that showed the form of the LFF.

“The test report showed that the Lithovit foliar fertiliser was a fine greyish powder,’’ he said.

The cross-examination would continue on Friday, October 12, 2018 at the court, presided over by Mr Justice Clemence Honyenuga

According to him, this occurred within the last six months on the international market price as recently affected prices of oil and gold.

Speaking at the second meeting of the Joint Ghana- Cote D’Ivoire Technical Operation on Cocoa, Owusu-Agyeman said government with experts from Cote D’ voire are putting measures in place to sustain the sector, adding that Ghanaians to consume products made of cocoa in the sub region to boost the economy  and promote farmers interest.

On his part, Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto said due to the decline in cocoa price on the international market, government will not increase cocoa price for farmers as promised.

Meanwhile, the CEO of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Adu also noted that COCOBOD is putting in place measures to increase cocoa production and consumption.

Some of the measures include curbing smuggling of cocoa bean, increase local consumptions and provide enough inputs of cocoa farmers.

COCOBOD is undertaking a 192 housing units project at Tema and as new Board Chairman, Hackman Owusu Agyemang went to inspect the project with other board members.

Mr Owusu Agyemang commenting on the housing project said, the type of work being undertaking is totally different from what was budgeted and therefore finds it difficult to accept the current project.

“When we came to power, we were told a contract has been signed for 192 flats so we decided to tour the site and inspect the kind of work being done but unfortunately for us the work they are undertaking now is different from what was put on paper” he said.

He said after thorough inspections, there were no wall drops in some of the rooms adding that most of the rooms are very small in size.

“We entered the rooms to confirm and we realized that the rooms are very small, there were no store rooms in the kitchens, no wall tales in the kitchen including other deficiencies” he noted.

This notwithstanding, he assures of government’s efforts to bring sanity to the company.

He could not fathom why some politicians and section of the public have descended heavily on the former COCOBOD boss after details of his salary went viral.

According to him, Dr. Opuni is not the only public chief executive officer in the country earning that amount.

“Why single out Dr Opuni when other public chief executive officers are taking huge salaries even more than Opuni and the President. The issue should not be centered on him. It is important that we look at the real issue and how to deal with it and stop this pettiness” he stated.

Kwesi Pratt Jnr’s comment follows anger by some Ghanaians after an unverified list detailing the huge salaries of some public chief executive officers in the country went viral.

The disclosure of the whopping GHC70,000 monthly salary paid Dr. Stephen Opuni by the new board chairman of the COCOBOD, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman has generated massive public outcry.

Mr. Owusu-Agyemang has subsequently disclosed that the new CEO of the state facility has agreed to be paid half of the salary paid his predecessor.

But commenting on the issue, on Adom FM’s Morning Show “Dwaso Nsem” Thursday, Mr Pratt asked the nation not to be quick to jump in to conclusions over the matter.

He maintained that, the amount of money paid an individual is not an issue if his or her job brings huge returns to the state.

Kwesi Pratt believes the only solution to such problem is for Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to begin rationalizing wages and salaries of public institutions.

“It’s the duty of Fair Wages & Salaries Commission to regulate salaries. Equity, justice and fair play should be at the center of salary payment. Many workers earn less than they deserve” he stated.

Watch video below: