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Dominic Ayine, the Attorney General, has dropped all charges against businessman Seidu Agongo and Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, the former CEO of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
Under the direction of Justice Aboagye Tandoh, the Accra High Court announced this announcement on Tuesday, January 28.
State Attorney Ms. Enam Loh Mensah told the court that the AG had ordered all charges against the two defendants to be dropped.
As a result, the State has, under the AG’s directives, filed a notice of withdrawal.
On 27 counts, including defrauding under false pretenses, knowingly inflicting financial harm to the state, money laundering, and corruption by a public official, Dr. Opuni and Seidu Agongo were on trial.
The dispute, which began in 2018, concerned the state’s alleged financial losses from the purchase of inferior fertilizers for COCOBOD.
Seidu Agongo’s business, Agricult Ghana Limited, was accused by the prosecution of providing Lithovit Liquid Fertilizer to COCOBOD under dubious circumstances. The fertilizer was allegedly subpar and had not undergone testing or received approval for usage.
By allegedly aiding the transaction and circumventing established procurement procedures, Dr. Opuni was charged with causing financial loss to the state and jeopardizing the livelihoods of cocoa producers.
Dr. Opuni and Seidu Agongo pleaded not guilty to all accusations during the trial, maintaining their innocence at all times.
They were given GH₵300,000.00 bail apiece, pending the outcome of the case.
One of Ghana’s most well-known trials in recent years has been this one.
Many witnesses, including government representatives, cocoa producers, and experts, were called to testify throughout the trial.
There were many difficulties surrounding the trial, such as claims of political undertones and apparent prejudice in the prosecution’s strategy.
The case was criticized for having political motivations.
Changes in the presiding judges and procedural issues caused the trial to be delayed in 2023, which infuriated both the defendants and the observers.
The prosecution’s ability to establish its case beyond a reasonable doubt was questioned by legal observers.
The State Attorney didn’t go into detail on why the withdrawal was made.
Since the charges have been dropped, Dr. Opuni and Seidu Agongo are not facing any legal action in this case. The ruling, however, is probably going to lead to more discussion on prosecutorial independence, judicial reforms, and how high-profile cases are handled in Ghana.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
