Businessman Siedu Agongo says his company, Agricult Ghana Limited, secured a Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) certificate to cover the supply of Lithovit Liquid Fertiliser in the years 2014 and 2017.
According to him, in these mentioned years, Agricult paid GH¢649.50 in 2014 and GH¢3,000 in 2017 as cost for reassessment and evaluation of its certificate for 2015 and 2018 respectively.
Mr Agongo, through his lawyer, Nutifafa Nutsikpui, stated this while cross-examining the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) Director of Finance, Peter Osei Amoako, at the court presided over by Justice Clemnence Honyenuga, a Supreme Court Judge sitting as an additional Judge of the High Court yesterday.
Mr Agongo, together with his company, Agricult, and the former Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, are standing trial for cocoa funds misappropriation.
The following are excerpts of questions (Q) and answers (A) of the cross-examination:
Q. Being a member of management at COCOBOD, how many farmer complaints are you aware of on the use of Lithovit Liquid Fertiliser?
A. I am not aware of any complaint.
Q. Now sir, you did tell this court that you are the official custodian of financial records of the corporate head office and divisions of COCOBOD?
A. Yes.
Q. Are you aware that on the 20th of November 2014, in a letter referenced CRIG/4/Vol 54/7014, CRIG invited Seidu Agongo to pay the sum of GH¢6,492.50 as the cost of reassessment and evaluation towards the renewal of CRIG certification for the Lithovit Liquid Fertiliser for the year 2015?
A. No I am not aware.
Q. That letter was signed by one Dr. K. Opoku-Ameyaw. Do you know him?
A. I know him by name, but we’ve never met before.
Q. Again, on the 7th of July 2017, in a letter referenced CRIG/39/14/VOL23/3429, CRIG invited Agricult to pay the sum of GH¢3,000 as the reassessment and evaluation fee for the renewal of CRIG certification for the Lithovit Liquid Fertiliser for the year 2018. Are you aware?
A. I’m not aware.
Q. CRIG raised then invoice numbered IN0000000940 on the said GH¢3,000 as renewal of CRIG certificate for the Lithovit Liquid Fertiliser for the year 2018. Are you aware?
A. No.
Q. And, indeed, CRIG received payment from Agricult, and by official receipt numbered 006516, acknowledged the said GH¢3,000 as payment for renewal of CRIG certificate for Lithovit Liquid Fertiliser 2018. Did you come across this in your financial report?
A. No.
Q. You don’t know the process of renewal of certificate at CRIG. Do you?
A. No. It’s done by the scientists.
Q. So when the scientist invited Agricult to follow a process towards the renewal of certificate for a chemical, you cannot justifiably question that?
A. No.
(Show him exhibit 36-40, 43-48)
Q. How long did you work as Accounts Manager at Cocoa Marketing Board?
A. 1 year 4 months.
Q. How about Quality Control Company Limited?
A. 2 years 3 months.
Q. Have you ever worked with KPMG?
A. Yes.
Q. For how long?
A. 2 years and 9 months.
Q. When did you leave KPMG?
A. September 2004.
Q. On 30th Nov 2020 you told this court that you were not part of management at COCOBOD. Do you still stand by that?
A. Yes.
Q. At COCOBOD, the CE, the three deputies, the Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, the ED of CHED, the Director of HR, Director of M&E of Codapec and Hitec, Director of Special Services, Director of General Services, MD of CMC, MD of Quality Control Company Limited, ED of Seed Production Division, Director of Legal Services, Director of Finance, Director of Scholarships, and Director of Audit are part of management at COCOBOD. Is that not true?
A. Yes. We always consider the CE and his three deputies as the executive management, and the rest are the directors. That’s why I said the CE and the three deputies are the executive management.
Q. You are aware that COCOBOD maintains a website?
A. Yes.
Q. So did COCOBOD err in listing the directors, including yourself, as part of management at COCOBOD on the said website?
A. I do not think so.
Q. Are you familiar with the functions of CHED?
A. Yes.
Q. What are some of those?
A. The main functions of CHED are extension services, cocoa rehabilitation, good agronomic practices.
Q. Will that include advising farmers on the appropriate use of agrochemicals, including fertilisers?
A. My lord, that advice will come from CRIG for implementation by CHED.
Q. So does CRIG go to the field to directly advise the farmers, or that advice is conveyed by CHED to the farmers?
A. That advice will be conveyed by CHED to the farmers.
Q. So by necessity, the staff of CHED interact with farmers in the cocoa growing areas in carrying out their duties as staff of CHED. That is correct?
A. That is correct, but CRIG and Seed Production Division as well interact with the farmers.
Q. As part of the process of interaction, the staff of CHED bring feedback from the farmers back to COCOBOD?
A. That is true for all the divisions that interact with the farmers.
Q. Such feedback includes the views expressed by farmers on any agrochemical, including fertilisers?
A. Yes.
Q. And those views by the farmers may be convinced, expression of preferences for or recommendations of types of agrochemicals, or fertilisers by those farmers?
A. Yes, but the real impact assessment to determine the effect of the agrochemicals is dome by CRIG.
Q. When these CHED officers visit the farm fields, the feedback that they bring to COCOBOD is captured in the report that they produce?
A. I don’t have any such report. I have not sighted any such report.
Q. To your knowledge how is the feedback brought to COCOBOD by staff of CHED?
A. It depends on how they will report it to their management. I do not know how they report to management, whether monthly or quarterly, I do not know.
Q. But you would expect that it would be in written report form?
A. Yes.
Q. Are you aware that from the 7th to the 25th of April 2015, CHED did field visits to some cocoa growing areas in the Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Central, Volta, Western North, Western South, and Ashanti regions?
A. My lord I am not aware of any report.
Q. The team from CHED, on that particular visit, was led by the then Executive Director of CHED, and included the deputy ED of CHED. Might you be aware of this?
A. No my lord, I’m not aware.
Q. As part of the stated objectives of that field visit was the engagement with CHED field staff and farmers on the efficient and effective application of folia fertilisers. Did you ever hear of this?
A. No.
Q. During your 16 years at COCOBOD, did you familiarise yourself with folia fertilisers?
A. Yes.
Q. How are folia fertilisers applied?
A. My lord, I cannot determine how they are applied because I am not a scientist.
Q. Folia fertilisers, by their very nature, are sprayed directly onto the leaves and stems of the crops that they are being applied to?
A. What I know is that each fertiliser has its own application rates. But how it is done, I do not know.
Q. In the 2015 field visits carried out by CHED, they found out that farmers who used Lithovit Liquid Fertiliser particularly liked that fertiliser and requested for more?
A. As I said earlier, if it comes to the impact assessment of fertiliser, it is done by CRIG, because they carry out the initial tests, and they will be able to ascertain the impact of fertiliser on cocoa after application. It will be better for whoever did the CHED report to speak to this report.
Q. This expression of the farmers’ preference for Lithovit Liquid Fertiliser is duly captured in the CHED 2015 Field Visit Report?
A. As I said, whoever undertook that exercise is in a better position to speak to it.
Q. At COCOBOD, any time there are complaints from the farmers, in respect of any cocoa farm inputs, including fertilisers, those complaints get to the attention of the management of COCOBOD. Is that correct?
A. Yes.
Q. From your review of the records, how many formal complaints have you come across on the use of Lithovit Liquid Fertiliser?
Objection raised by DPP.
Q. What is exhibit 36?
A. Notice of award.
Q. Who signed it?
A. DT Yaw Adu Ampomah.
Q. Date?
A. 17th May 2017.
Q. Were you at post as DOF?
A. Yes.
Q. To your knowledge, COCOBOD procured the product covered by Exhibit 36?
A. Yes.
Q. Did COCOBOD execute a contract in respect of that product?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you recall who signed on behalf of COCOBOD?
A. No.
Q. But did you as DOF witness that contract?
A. Sitting here I cannot recall.
Q. Will you know when COCOBOD received a sample of that product for testing?
A. No.
Q. I take it you don’t know whether, in fact, any test was carried out on that product?
A. No. The scientists should be able to tell.
Q. By the notification of award, payment for that product was supposed to be effected 30 days after delivery?
A. Yes.
Q. Being the DOF, you are aware that COCOBOD paid for that product?
A. This is the notification. If the services were provided, then COCOBOD will pay.
Q. When it came to payment for Lithovit, which happened in 2014, you recalled specific dates and amounts of payments. So please help the court; you know that COCOBOD, in fact, paid for this product in Exhibit 36?
A. I do not recall.
Q. Kindly take a look at Exhibit 37. What is the date?
A. 17th May 2017.
Q. And it was again signed by Dr Yaw Adu Ampomah?
A. Yes.
Q. What is it?
A. Notification of contract award.
Q. For what product?
A. For Number 1 Liquid Fertiliser.
Q. To your knowledge, COCOBOD procured this product?
A. If the contract was signed, then they went ahead to procure.
Q. Please confirm to the court that by this date you were at post as DOF.
A. Yes.
Q. Do you recognise Exhibit 52?
A. Yes.
Q. What is it?
A. Contract for the supply of 200,000 litres of Number 1 Liquid Fertiliser between COCOBOD and Kumark Company Limited.
Q. When was it signed?
A. 16th June 2017.
Q. Who signed for COCOBOD!
A. Hon Joseph Boahen Aidoo, CEO.
Q. Who witnessed the contract?
A. Peter Osei Amoako.
Q. That is the contract in respect of the notification of award in Exhibit 37. That is correct?
A. Yes.
Q. So COCOBOD procured this product, in fact, that is correct?
A. Yes.
Q. When were samples for Number 1 Liquid Fertiliser received by COCOBOD for testing?
A. I don’t know.
Q. You don’t also know whether or not that product had been tested by CRIG?
A. If the product is not tested, COCOBOD will not purchase it.
Q. When was it tested?
A. The scientists at CRIG will be able to tell us.
Q. You witnessed this contract based on the assumption that it had been duly tested?
A. I did not witness this contract based on an assumption because the contract I witnessed had a valid certificate.
Q. So it is the CRIG certificate that provides you the assurance that that product had been tested by CRIG. Is that the case?
A. The CRIG certificate will show that the product has been tested or should have been tested for a minimum of two years.
Q. Can you show us on the certificate where this is stated?
A. My lord, the document I have here does not have the certificate attached, but I know there is a certificate to this contract, and if I am given the opportunity, I can provide the certificate.
The trial was adjourned to 9th and 10th of December at 10:30am.
The post I have receipts to prove Lithovit Liquid Fertiliser has a certificate -Agongo appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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