An interesting development in the ongoing COCOBOD trial is that the first prosecution witness, Dr. Franklin Manu Amoah, is suspected of “evading process” during his tenure as Executive Director of the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG). It was revealed.
His actions led to criminal proceedings against COCOBOD’s former chief executive officer Dr. Stephen Opunyi and businessman Seidu Agongo, as well as Agricult Ghana Limited, rather he appeared as a state witness and made a bizarre In particular, he testified against three people.
It has emerged that Dr. Amoah did not follow established procedures and signed the first certificate for Lisovit foliar fertilizer in 2014 without approval from the Committee for the Testing of Chemicals (CTCM).
According to his successor, Dr. Gilbert Anyim Kwapong, the CTCM has the authority to authorize the CRIG Executive Director to sign certificates for products. However, Dr. Amoah signed the certificate a week before he formally requested CTCM to consider certifying the product.
This revelation raises questions about adherence to protocols and established procedures during Dr. Amoah’s leadership at CRIG, and is expected to be the focus of the ongoing trial.
Dr. Opuni, Mr. Seidou Agongo and Mr. Agricart were charged with fraud by false pretenses, intentionally causing financial loss to the state, corruption by a public servant, and the possession of Lisovit liquid fertilizer during 2014. He has been charged with 27 charges, including violating the Public Procurement Act in the purchase. And in 2016.
Throughout the trial, a picture was painted suggesting that there was only a one-day gap between Dr Opuni’s signature as chief executive of COCOBOD and the certification of Lisovit foliar fertilizer by CRIG, which the prosecution claimed was was used as evidence. Ouni assists Alhaji Agongo to deceive the nation.
However, it emerged in court that that record finding in CRIG was the handiwork of Dr FM Amoah, who sarcasticly testified against the accused regarding his own conduct.
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Interestingly, CRIG’s official records show that the CEO to Agricult was copied to CRIG for issuing a certificate for Lisovit foliar fertilizer after CRIG recommended COCOBOD management to approve the product. It shows that the letter was received on January 29, 2014. FM Amoah had signed the certificate a few days ago.
“Lord, that’s why I’m looking for that letter. [from COCOBOD to CRIG to issue a certificate for lithovit] and minutes therein. Lord, when I requested that document yesterday, it was clear that it was not here, according to the due diligence I do at Tafo on the certificate I signed, for which I keep an electronic copy. So yesterday, when it came to light, I posted a copy of it. What I have to advise is you can go ahead and talk about it. My Lords, the letter from COCOBOD and CRIG to the Chief Executive Officer of Agricult Limited has been photocopied and the letter was dated 21 January 2014 by him. According to the certificate here, the letter was signed on January 22, 2024, just one day after the letter was sent. issued.
“Lord, this letter, a copy of CRIG, was received at CRIG on January 29, 2014. On that very day, January 29, 2014, Dr. Amoah forwarded the letter to the CTCM Chairman, They seem to have said: Issue a certificate for the product. Sir, they have already circumvented the formalities and CTCM and issued and signed the certificate on January 22, 2014.
Seven days after signing that certificate, he directed CTCM to issue the certificate.
Since the chairman was on vacation, his deputy said the certificate could not be issued without a request from the supplier.
“So, around March 30, 2014, when the Chairman resumed work after his leave, he sent a document back to Dr. Amoah indicating that he could not issue the certificate as he was still waiting for a request from the company. ” In minutes 5, Dr. Amoah indicated that he had no objection. This letter was kept with that date until the company submitted the certificate, which was issued by us in 2015, without Dr. Amoah knowing his 2014 certificate. did.
Earlier, prosecutors led by Chief State Attorney Evelyn Keelson sought to prevent the eighth defense witness, Dr. Kwapong, from going into details of a letter the chief executive had copied to CRIG exposing Dr. Amoah. He was trying very hard.
“Dr. Anim Kwapong, this long account you gave in court of what allegedly happened in January 2014, you were not there,” the prosecution further questioned the witness.
“Lord, you are right, but we keep documents for organizational memory and we needed to track them in order to sign new requests that came to us,” he said. explained.
But Mrs Keelson insisted: “I don’t think you knew what actually happened because you weren’t there. Everything you say is just a weak attempt to justify a certificate you signed without any basis. I’ll tell you that.”
However, the witness pointed out that: “My Lord, that is not correct. I will explain. My Lords, the CTCM was in place even before I took on the role of Acting Executive Director. One is still the Deputy Director General, Dr. Adu Acheampong. When the letter reached them, it was Dr. Adu Acheampong who said that the certificate could not be issued without a formal request from the company. , and that was conveyed to Dr. Amoah, who said there was no need to object. So, a new request came from the company to CRIG, which should be sent to CTCM. I had to refer to the document that gave approval for this issue. They went ahead and prepared a certificate for my signature. [in 2015]. Also, you must see the document before signing. So, Lord, everything I am saying is reality and not speculation. That’s why I want everyone to take a look at this document. ”
He also poked holes in how CRIG scientists wrote a report on the Lisovit foliar fertilizer test results. “So, Lord, the scientists who did this study did a sloppy study,” he stressed.
He also analyzed information in the test report and Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) co-located with Lisovit’s certificate issued in 2014 to justify why the product is a liquid rather than a powder. .
Lord, I have consistently stated in this court and in EOCO and CID that Lisovit is a liquid foliar fertilizer. Lord, I want to go back to MSDS. The MSDS advises that dust generation should be avoided. How can powdered foliar fertilizer be applied airborne without creating dust? And, of course, who should apply that dust?