NDC Government Drops Fraud, Money Laundering Charges Against Stephen Opuni And Seidu Agongo

NDC Government Drops Fraud, Money Laundering Charges Against Stephen Opuni And Seidu Agongo

  • The new Attorney-General has withdrawn all charges against Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, a former CEO of the Ghana Cocoa Board
  • Opuni and co-accused Seidu Agongo were standing trial on 27 counts of charges that included willfully causing financial loss to the state
  • Before the charges were dropped, Opuni and Agongo had pleaded not guilty and consistently maintained their innocence during the trial

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The new Attorney-General, Dominic Ayine, has withdrawn all charges against Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, the former CEO of the Ghana Cocoa Board, and businessman Seidu Agongo.

This announcement was made on Tuesday, January 28 at the Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Aboagye Tandoh.

NDC Government, Fraud, Money Laundering, Stephen Opuni, Seidu Agongo, John Dramani Mahama
The new government under John Mahama drops financial loss and fraud charges against Stephen Opuni and Seidu Agongo. Source: John Dramani Mahama
Source: Facebook

GNA reported that Enam Loh Mensah, the state attorney, informed the court that the charges had been withdrawn.

Opuni was appointed to head COCOBOD in 2013. His tenure as the chief executive officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board ended on 13 January 2017 when a new government came into power.

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Opuni and Agongo were standing trial on 27 counts, including charges of defrauding by false pretences, willfully causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, and corruption by a public officer.

The case, which has been ongoing since 2018, revolved around the alleged procurement of substandard fertilisers for COCOBOD, resulting in financial losses to the state.

The prosecution alleged that Seidu Agongo’s company, Agricult Ghana Limited, supplied Lithovit Liquid Fertilizer to COCOBOD under questionable circumstances.

Opuni was accused of facilitating the deal and bypassing established procurement processes, allegedly causing financial loss to the state and endangering the livelihoods of cocoa farmers.

Opuni and Agongo consistently maintained their innocence throughout the trial, pleading not guilty to all charges.

Who is Stephen Opuni?

Opuni was born on August 8, 1966, in Sunyani, Bono Region (formerly Brong Ahafo Region), to Dora Yaa Owusuaa Opuni and Nicholas Hayford Kwabena Opuni.

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His mother came from Dormaa Babianeha, Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana. Stephen's father was the Brong Ahafo Regional Secretary of Kwame Nkrumah's Convention People's Party (CPP) in 1966.

Stephen attended college at the Vitebsk State Medical Institute in the former USSR and graduated as a doctor of medicine in June 1991.

In April 2009, Dr Opuni was appointed to head the FDA Ghana. He held the position until November 2013.

During his tenure at the FDA, Stephen Kwabena also served on the Convention of the United States Pharmacopoeia Council from 2012 until the end of 2013.

Ato Forson freed in ambulance case

YEN.com.gh reported in July 2024 that the Court of Appeal acquitted and discharged then-minority leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, in the ambulance case.

Embattled businessman Richard Jakpa has also been acquitted in the case with the Court of Appeal setting aside an order for Forson to open a defence.

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A secret recording was also released suggesting that Attorney General Godfred Dame tried to turn state witness against Forson in the ambulance case.

The case related to a Ghanaian government deal to purchase 200 ambulances between 2014 and 2016 when Forson was deputy finance minister.

Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Delali Adogla-Bessa avatar

Delali Adogla-Bessa (Current Affairs Editor) Delali Adogla-Bessa is a Current Affairs Editor with YEN.com.gh. Delali previously worked as a freelance journalist in Ghana and has over seven years of experience in media, primarily with Citi FM, Equal Times, Ubuntu Times. Delali also volunteers with the Ghana Institute of Language Literacy and Bible Translation, where he documents efforts to preserve local languages. He graduated from the University of Ghana in 2014 with a BA in Information Studies. Email: delali.adogla-bessa@yen.com.gh.