Lawyers for former COCOBOD boss, Dr Stephen Opuni, have filed an application at the High Court in Accra, seeking Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga to step down from hearing the case in which Dr Opuni and Seidu Agongo are being tried for allegedly willfully causing financial loss to the state.
The said application could not be heard because the prosecution led by Director of Public Prosecution Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa told the Court that she is yet to be served.
Dr Stephen Opuni, want Justice Honyenuga off the case because he has attained the statutory retirement age of 70 years.
The Constitution stipulates that a Justice of the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeal, shall on attaining the age of seventy years proceed on retirement.
Although Justice Clemence Honyenuga retired last October 2022, the Chief Justice has given him a six months extension to complete the case against Dr Opuni and Mr Seidu Agongo and deliver judgment. Dr Stephen Opuni was the CEO of COCOBOD between November 2013 and January 2017, while Mr Agongo is the CEO of Agricult Ghana Limited, an agrochemical company.
The two were put before the Court in March 2018 for allegedly engaging in illegalities in a series of fertiliser transactions, which caused a financial loss of more than 271 point million to the State.
Mr Seidu Agongo is alleged to have used fraudulent means to sell substandard 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 hearing continues next Monday.
