According to the Insight newspaper, Ghana has lost as much as ¢46 billion from the shipment of underweight cocoa to Europe.

Although official documents of the the Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC) confirm the colossal loss, bosses of the company refused to confirm the figures.

A letter dated September 6, 2007 terminating the appointment of 37 workers of the CMC read in part, "Investigations conducted into the receipt and shipment of short weight cocoa at the Takoradi take-over centre have revealed that you deliberately received short weight cocoa into stock.

"Your action has resulted in the payment of huge sums of money as surcharges to our buyers, thus causing financial loss to the company."

The letter referenced CMC/GC/ADM and signed by Nana Oduro Owusu, Deputy Director did not disclose the amount of money Ghana has lost.

When Nana Oduro Owusu was contacted by The Insight for his comments, he directed the paper’s reporter to the Public Affairs Department of COCOBOD.

Officers of the department told that Nana Oduro Owusu had referred the matter to them did not agree that they were to answer for the development.

"What is Nana Oduro saying? We here have not been told anything. In fact, we don't have any information. Please go back to him," one lady said.

The 37 workers who have been dismissed have challenged their dismissal, claiming that internal organisational weaknesses were responsible for the short weight cocoa taken into stock.

They blamed quality control processes, corruption and equipment failures for the exportation of short weighted cocoa.

A petition sent by one of the affected workers to the managing director of the CMC claimed that part of the problem was caused by the employment of unqualified personnel by the Quality Control Department.

The petition also spoke about the stealing of cocoa beans from already bagged and properly weighed consignments.