New revelations have emerged regarding the questionable actions of the second prosecution witness, Dr. Alfred Arthur, leading to his suspension as a scientist at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) under COCOBOD.
The soil scientist is accused of bypassing the proper procedure for testing fertilizer and providing misleading information to his superiors regarding the certification of the product “Cocoa Nti” manufactured by the Morocco-based OCP Group.
His actions reportedly influenced COCOBOD‘s CEO, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, to purchase 100,000 bags of “Cocoa Nti” for $3.5 million based on the contentious report.
Dr. Arthur was suspended following an ad-hoc committee’s investigation in 2016, chaired by Rev. Father Dr. E.O.K. Oddoye, the Deputy Executive Director in Charge of Cocoa. The committee found Dr. Arthur and Alex Afrifa guilty of misconduct.
In 2013, Dr. Arthur visited the manufacturers of “Cocoa Nti” in Morocco and swiftly prepared a report on the product upon his return, bypassing proper scientific testing procedures.
When COCOBOD received Dr. Arthur’s scientific report without the knowledge of his superiors, a letter dated March 2, 2018, was sent to the Public Procurement Authority on March 5, 2018, seeking approval for the sole-sourcing purchase of the fertilizer.
The CEO of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, proceeded to acquire 100,000 bags of “Cocoa Nti” for $3.5 million, relying on the controversial report authored by Dr. Alfred Arthur and his team.
The committee’s report, which led to the suspension of Dr. Alfred Arthur, is now part of the evidence presented in the ongoing trial of former COCOBOD Chief Executive, Dr. Stephen Opuni, and businessman Seidu Agongo.
During cross-examination by lawyer Benson Nutsukpui, the lead counsel for Alhaji Agongo, Dr. Gilbert Anim Kwapong, the Executive Director of CRIG at the time, confirmed that he signed the committee’s report and forwarded it to the Deputy Chief Executive Agronomy and Quality Control at COCOBOD.
Dr. Anin Kwapong stated that CRIG found Dr. Arthur’s response to the queries regarding the fertilizer testing untenable.
“Exhibit 17A, the committee found as a fact that there is no delegation of OCP (Morocco, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Enepa Ventures) paid a visit to COCOBOD to submit a fertilizer sampling for Cocoa Nti, that’s true,” he was asked, and he answered, “My Lord, that is correct”.
He also said the committee “found as a fact”, that although Dr Arthur visited Morocco at the invitation of OCP and Enepa ventures, there was no evidence of COCOBOD officially requesting CRIG to test any fertilizer formulation.
The committee, he said, also found that the payment for the testing of Cocoa Nti was done in March 2016.
“Sir when you were being interrogated by police you told them that the two errant scientists were dealt with by the CTCM (Committee for Testing of Chemicals and Machines),” Lawyer Benson Nutsukpui asked the witness.
“It was the directorate that dealt with the two errant scientists,” he answered.
After the investigation, Dr. Alfred Arthur was initially transferred from CRIG headquarters at Tafo to one of CRIG’s substations at Bunso. However, he returned to CRIG at Tafo in January 2017, serving as the acting head of the soil department.
This move occurred after Dr. Franklin Manu Amoah, the first prosecution witness, returned to CRIG as the Executive Director. Dr. Anim Kwapong, the Executive Director at the time of the incident, was transferred to COCOBOD headquarters without a specific designation.
Subsequently, Dr. Kwapong was transferred to the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) of COCOBOD and retired as the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation of CODAPEC/HiTECH on December 11, 2022.