Lithovit fertiliser report not reliable – Dr Samuel Bamford
A research scientist at the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, Atomic Energy, Ghana, Dr Samuel Bamford, yesterday told the High Court in Accra that the Papafio Quartey report on lithovit fertiliser cannot be relied on.
He said the report was unfit for purpose and not worth the piece of paper it was written on.
Mr Quartey was one of the scientists the state assigned to conduct scientific analysis on lithovit fertiliser, the subject of prosecution involving Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana COCOBOD and Mr Seidu Agongo, a businessman.
The report made adverse findings against the fertiliser which had the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, prosecuting Dr Opuni and Mr Agongo.
Dr Bamford said on the second day of his testimony before the court presided over by Justice Aboagye Tandoh, as a defence witness.
Last week Tuesday, Dr Bamford told the court that the Papafio report was questionable.
Today, when Mr Samuel Codjoe, the counsel Dr Opuni asked the witness to rate the Papafio report, Dr Bamford said he would score the report one over 10.
The case has been adjourned to January 28 for continuation.
The COCOBOD trial had dragged on for more than six years. Justice Clement Jackson Honyenugah, a retired Supreme Court Judge, was the first trial judge until he went on retirement.
The case docket was later assigned to Justice Gyimah Boadi, who at the outset decided to conduct fresh trial because of what he considered as “suspicions and allegations” from the parties concerned.
Justice Boadi was subsequently transferred and the case was assigned to Justice Aboagye Tandoh.
Before then, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godred Yeboah Dame, appealed the decision of Justice Boadi to conduct fresh trial and later in a ruling, a three-member panel of judges overturned the decision to start the trial afresh.
In March 2018, the Attorney-General charged Dr Opuni and Agongo with 27 counts for allegedly engaging in illegalities that caused financial loss of GH¢271.3 million to the state, and led to the distribution of sub-standard fertiliser to cocoa farmers.
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 two accused persons have pleaded not guilty to all the 27 charges and are currently on bail.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
