The prosecution’s claim that former COCOBOD Chief Executive, Dr. Stephen Opuni instructed CRIG scientists to hasten the testing of fertilizers, particularly lithovit, has been rebutted by a new defense witness, a soil scientist from CRIG.
Court proceedings have unveiled that even prior to Dr. Opuni’s assumption of office, CRIG had completed its evaluation of lithovit foliar fertilizer supplied by Agricult Ghana Limited and had compiled the scientific report on the product.
Jerome Agbesi Dogbatse, who contributed to the preliminary report on lithovit foliar fertilizer, testified before the Accra High Court on April 25, 2024, stating that CRIG concluded its examination of lithovit well before November 2013.
Joining the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) on November 4, 2013, Dogbatse asserted, “I informed the police that the product (lithovit) was tested and finalized before I became part of CRIG.”
Despite Dr. Opuni’s appointment in December 2013, he officially assumed his role as the Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board in January 2014.
“What I told the police was that they showed me a report and asked me that have I seen this report before, and I said yes, I have seen the report before, and then they mentioned that this is the final report on the work on lithovit. then I told them if that is the final report, nobody showed it to me, but what I worked on was the draft report,” the witness said.
“Did you tell the police anything about making comments on any report?” lawyer Benson Nutsukpui, counsel for Seidu Agongo, asked Mr Dogbatse.
The witness replied, “Yes, my Lord, I told them that I made some comments for the attention of the lead author. That is what I meant by review.”
The initial prosecution witness, Dr. Franklin Manu Amoah, alleged during his testimony in July 2018 that Dr. Opuni directed scientists to expedite the testing of fertilizers, including lithovit, upon assuming office.
However, Dr. Francis Baah, who purportedly attended a meeting where this directive was issued, vehemently denied any such occurrence during proceedings on April 17, 2024.
Additionally, Mr. James Kofi Kutsoatsi, also claimed to be present at the alleged meeting, did not join COCOBOD until April 2014, rendering his attendance impossible during the specified timeframe.
Jerome Agbesi Dogbatse further discredited Dr. Amoah’s claim, stating that he did not meet the testing requirements for lithovit fertilizer.
“The difference between them are that the treated seedlings are doing better than the untreated seedlings,” he recalled.
Dogbatse’s testimony aligned with his previous statements to investigative bodies, affirming that the testing had concluded before his tenure at CRIG began.
“It is clear and obvious that there was a calculated attempt to dirty Dr Stephen Opuni with false claims. This is just to besmirch a man with reputable credibility,” a journalist who doesn’t want to be named pointed out.
The defense posits that Dr. Opuni’s alleged involvement seems improbable given the timeline and the presence of a substantive COCOBOD chief executive at the time.