The Greater Accra Regional Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Anthony Nukpenu has described the 27 charges preferred against former COCOBOD Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Stephen Opuni and Seidu Agongo as ‘lazy charges’ that will be shot down by the competent Lawyers that will represent the accused.
According to Nukpenu, the charges were not deeply thought through by the Lawyers at the Attorney General’s Department and hence would be shot down when the court processes begin.
“Some of these charges are only to buy time at the court…they are lazy charges and I am sure that the defense Lawyers that will represent Opuni and Seidu Agongo are competent enough to shoot these charges down…,” he said on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen on Wednesday.
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They are facing 27 charges.
The case is said to be called on Friday, March 23, 2018 at the High Court.
In February 2017, the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) froze the assets of Dr Opuni as part of investigations into his tenure as CEO of COCOBOD.
The charges against the two come a week after President Nana Akufo-Addo told Ghanaians in his address at the 61st Independence Anniversary celebrations, to expect more prosecutions of persons deemed to have engaged in the misappropriation of public funds.
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According to President Akufo-Addo, “with the office of the Special Prosecutor now in place, we can expect more prosecutions for corruption in the coming months, and public officials, present and past, should be on notice that they will be held accountable for their stewardship of our public finances.”
“Can you imagine what we can do with GH¢5.4 billion? It can certainly finance the Free SHS for five years,” he said while touching on the recent audit by the Auditor General into the liabilities of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies which led to the disallowance of some GH¢5.4 billion of claims.
Nukpenu said he was shocked the NPP government was prosecuting Seidu Agongo as the fertilisers which were imported by his company are not being sold by the Akufo-Addo government.
“Akufo-Addo’s government is still selling the fertiliser that was imported by Seidu Agongo, they are selling them at half price to the farmers…,” he alleged.
He fruther called on Ghanaians to be ready for the ‘legal tussle’ between Dr Opuni and the Government of Ghana arguing that the case was not going to end anytime soon.