Former CEO of COCOBOD Stephen Opuni and businessman Seidu Agongo freed..

The Attorney-General, Dominic Ayine has withdrawn all charges against Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, the former CEO of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), and businessman Seidu Agongo.

This announcement was made on Tuesday, January 28 at the Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Aboagye Tandoh.

 A State Attorney, Ms Enam Loh Mensah, informed the court that the AG had directed the withdrawal of all charges against the two accused. Consequently, the State has filed a notice of withdrawal pursuant to the AG’s instructions.

Dr. Opuni and Seidu Agongo were standing trial on 27 counts, including charges of defrauding by false pretences, willfully causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, and corruption by a public officer.

The case, which has been ongoing since 2018, revolved around the alleged procurement of substandard fertilisers for COCOBOD, resulting in financial losses to the state.

The prosecution alleged that Seidu Agongo’s company, Agricult Ghana Limited, supplied Lithovit Liquid Fertilizer to COCOBOD under questionable circumstances, with claims that the fertiliser was substandard and had not been tested or approved for use.

Dr. Opuni was accused of facilitating the deal and bypassing established procurement processes, allegedly causing financial loss to the state and endangering the livelihoods of cocoa farmers.

Both Dr Opuni and Seidu Agongo consistently maintained their innocence throughout the trial, pleading not guilty to all charges.

They were granted bail of GH₵300,000.00 each, pending the determination of the case.

With the charges withdrawn, Dr. Opuni and Seidu Agongo are free from legal proceedings in this matter.