The National Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Adams, has described the prosecution of former COCOBOD Chief Executive, Dr. Stephen Opuni’s as a case of “selective injustice.”
According to him, the government is only making frantic efforts to cause public disaffection towards the previous administration.
[contextly_sidebar id=”JPvCrodn7s5IgvArH9wSvSVdQJd0xk9L”]Speaking in a Citi News interview, Mr. Kofi Adams said the government had failed to prosecute its own officers alleged to have engaged in various forms of corruption.
“What has government done about numerous corruption and acts of corruption reported sometimes by its own members against itself since January 2017, meanwhile they will be spending resources, wasting everybody’s time looking for non-existing evidence in an attempt to paint the previous administration bad. We can’t sit aloof and say that they are prosecuting, when it is clear that they are engaging in selective injustice,” he said.
Dr. Stephen Opuni has been charged with a businessman and CEO of Zeera Group of Companies, Seidu Agongo and Agricult Ghana Limited, with 27 charges including causing financial loss to the State.
The two individuals and a company, according to the state, connived to defraud the state of GHC 43, 120,000.
The Ashanti Regional branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) earlier described the prosecution as witch-hunting, adding that it is “appalled by what it calls government’s “exceptional determination to destroy the reputation of a man who has labored to transform the cocoa sector in Ghana.”
It, however said it was optimistic that Dr. Opuni will be exonerated “knowing his meticulousness and genuine commitment to the development of Ghana.”
Opuni’s assets frozen
Mr. Opuni, who was relieved of his post in January 2017, had his assets including his accounts frozen by the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) in February that same year.
Although reasons for the seizure were not officially communicated, sources at the time hinted Citi Newsthat EOCO was seeking to investigate the entire period he served as CEO of that critical state agency.
Opuni’s tenure
Mr. Opuni’s tenure was engrossed in several allegations of corruption and mismanagement of the cocoa sector, with his critics accusing him of running down the critical sector; which generates revenue for the country and employs millions of Ghanaians.
As a former CEO of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Dr. Stephen K. Opuni was appointed by former President John Mahama on November 30, 2013, to head the COCOBOD.
He replaced Anthony Fofie, who headed COCOBOD from 2009.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana