The immediate past Executive Director of Cocoa Research Institute of Gha­na (CRIG), Dr Gilbert Anin Kwapong, has stated that Agricult Ghana Limited never influenced him into signing the renewal certificate for the supply of lithovit liquid fertiliser to Ghana COCOBOD.

He said the Managing Direc­tor of Agricult Ghana Limited,

Mr Seidu Agongo, who is being prosecuted together with Dr Kwabena Opuni, a former Chief Executive Officer of Ghana COCOBOD for various alleged criminal offences in a fertiliser deal never attempted to influence him to sign the renewal certificate of Agricult.

Dr Kwapong said these yes­terday during cross examination by the counsel for Mr Agongo and Agricult Ghana Limited, Mr Benson Nutsukpui.

Agricult Ghana Limited is the fertiliser manufacturing company that supplied lithovit liquid fer­tiliser to Ghana COCOBOD for onward distribution to farmers for the 2014-2015 crop season.

Dr Kwapong who is testify­ing as a defence witness told the court presided over by Justice Aboagye Tandoh that certificates for machines and chemicals were renewed based on recommenda­tion by a team of scientists that evaluate machines and chemicals.

The case has been adjourned to Monday, 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 substandard 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 bail.