GII urges president to take interest in Labianca Foods scandal

Linda Ofori-Kwafo, the Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), has urged the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to take particular interest in the case of the Member of the Council of State who is alleged to have been involved in the Labianca Foods scandal.

“I think it will be very appropriate for the appointing authority of Eunice Asomah-Hinneh, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Labianca Company Limited and a Member of Council of State to take special interest in this matter as well and see whether their rules and code of conduct governing the members have any kind of punishments,” she stressed.

Mrs Ofori-Kwafo, who is also Board Chairperson of OSP, indicated whether any punishment had to go with such a conduct which the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) had found to be untoward, for which necessary steps had been taken to recover monies that were due the state.

This comes after the OSP recovered GH¢1,074,627.15 from Labianca Foods in unpaid import duties and has also called for wider investigations into Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and demanded for a copy of integrity plans to prevent corruption.

The OSP investigated alleged corruption and corruption related offences in the context of evasion and valuation of duties on frozen and processed food products imported into the country between 2017 and 2021 involving some high-ranking officials of the Customs Division of the GRA.

In its report on the investigation, the OSP stated that Labianca Company Limited commenced operations in 2014, and imports 200 40-footer shipping containers of frozen chicken parts, fish, pork and fries monthly primarily from Europe and the United States and by the time the company commenced the applications, Ms Asomah-Hinneh had been elected a member of the Council of State representing the Western Region and appointed a member of the Governing Board of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority. 

Mrs Ofori-Kwafo noted that in that particular instance, the president should be interested in the issue, take special interest in it, consult the OSP and then know what actions there would be to be taken so far as Ms Asomah-Hinneh involvement as a Member of the Council of State was concerned.