I was not directed to shorten testing period for fertiliser – Witness

Dr Anin Kwapong, the former Executive Director of Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), told the Accra High Court he renewed the cer­tificate of lithovit fertiliser after it was taken through scientific procedures.

Dr Kwapong was testifying as a defence witness in the ongo­ing trial of Dr Stephen Kwabe­na Opuni, the former Chief Executive Officer of Ghana COCOBOD and Seidu Agongo, a businessman.

He told the court presided over by Justice Aboagye Tandoh that he was never directed by Dr Opuni to shorten the testing period for lithovit.

The state had accused Dr Opuni for directing scientists to shorten the testing time for lithovit, but the witness said lithovit was renewed like all other agrochemicals and machines.

He was led in evidence by the counsel for Dr Opuni, Mr Samuel Codjoe.

Dr Kwapong told the court that for a certificate of a fertiliser to be renewed, a team of sci­entists called the committee for Testing Chemicals and Machines (CTCM) went to the field to collect data on agrochemicals and machines.

The former CRIG Executive Director said the data includes surveys, response of farmers and samples of chemicals taken on the field and tested before the certificate is renewed.

In the case of lithovit, Dr Kwapong said the CRIG fol­lowed the same procedure before renewal of the certificate for lithovit.

The case has been adjourned to December 4 for continuation.

The COCOBOD trial had dragged on for more than six years. Justice Clement Jackson Honyenugah, a retired Supreme Court Judge, was the first trial judge until he went on retire­ment

The case docket was later as­signed to Justice Gyimah Boadi, who at the outset decided to con­duct fresh trial because of what he considered as “suspicions and allegations” from the parties concerned.

Justice Boadi was subse­quently transferred and the case was assigned to Justice Aboagye Tandoh.

Before then, the Attor­ney-General and Minister of Justice, Godred Yeboah Dame, appealed the decision of Justice Boadi to conduct fresh trial and later in a ruling, a three-member panel of judges overturned the decision to start the trial afresh.

In March 2018, the Attor­ney-General charged Dr Opuni and Agongo with 27 counts for allegedly engaging in illegalities that caused financial loss of GH¢271.3 million to the state, and led to the distribution of sub-standard fertiliser to cocoa farmers.

Agongo is alleged to have used fraudulent means to sell sub-standard fertiliser to CO­COBOD for onward distribu­tion to cocoa farmers, while Dr Opuni is accused of facilitating the act by not allowing Agongo’s products to be tested and certi­fied, as required by law.

The two accused persons have pleaded not guilty to all the 27 charges and are on bill.