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General News of Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Source: 3news.com
2019-02-19
Dr. Alfred Arthur, a key witness of the state, was suspended for fake
Prosecution witness Dr. Alfred Arthur, a soil scientist at the Cocoa Research Institute (CRIG), appeared uneasy as a defense lawyer in Dr. Opuni's ongoing trial. and Seidu Agongo, who had re-examined a topic that had been condemned by COCOBOD.
Dr. Alfred Arthur, a key state witness, was suspended for forgery and was banned from the Ghana Cocoa Research Institute (CRIG) for circumventing the procedure required to test fertilizers and attempting to deceive his senior officers to certify and buy them. fertilizer not tested.
Its suspension follows a survey conducted by COCOBOD in 2016 on the fertilizer in question, Cocoa Nti, manufactured by OCP group based in Morocco.
An investigative report presented to the court chaired by Judge Clemence Honyenuga, a judge of the Court of Appeal, sitting as a judge in the High Court, revealed that Mr. Arthur had traveled with local suppliers of granular fertilizer "Cocoa Nti"; Enepa Ventures Ltd visited the product manufacturers based in Morocco and on its return, it quickly prepared a report on the product without performing a scientific test.
Meanwhile, Dr. Alfred Arthur has been recalled to CRIG since 2017, where he is Acting Head of the CRIG Soil Department.
It is interesting to note that Joseph Boahen Aidoo, CEO of COCOBOD, purchased some 100,000 bags of "Cocoa Nti" valued at US $ 3.5 million, based on Dr. Arthur's controversial report. of his team.
Dr. Arthur testified in the case in which Dr. Stephen Opuni, former CEO of COCOBOD, and Agricult Ghana Limited's President and CEO, Seidu Agongo, were tried for committing acts that resulted in a financial loss. of 271.3 million GH in a series of fertilizer offers.
At the call of the case on Monday, February 18, 2019, the lawyer Benson Nutsukpui, the lawyer Seidu Agongo and Agricult Ghana Ltd, the second and third defendants, presented with success report from the committee that investigated Mr. Arthur as well as other people. although Ms. Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, Director of Public Prosecutions, attempted to object to the presentation of some of the documents.
It was after Dr. Arthur was instructed to identify the documents, including those signed by him regarding his relations with Cococa Nti. These documents were filed on behalf of CRIG on 28 November 2018 by the Deputy Director of Legal Affairs of COCOBOD, Johannes Vegba.
The second Prosecution witness, Dr. Alfred Arthur, vehemently denied the lack of knowledge of the Chemicals and Machinery Testing Committee (CTCM) institution to test new CRIG fertilizers even after more than half of the time. two years of scientific work in this division of COCOBOD.
Excerpts from Monday's proceedings in the cross-examination of Dr. Alfred Arthur by Benson Nutsukpi.
Q: Sir, when was the CTCM (Committee on Testing of Chemicals and Machinery) created?
Ans: my Lord, I do not know when it was created
Q: Dr. Amoah created the CTCM?
Ans: My Lord, I have no idea.
Q: Dr. Anim Kwapong was the executive director who commissioned the ad hoc committee to handle the complaints about Cocoa Nti?
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: Dr. Oddoye chaired this committee?
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: You appeared before the committee.
Ans: yes my lord
Q: And all the procedures have been recorded?
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: look at room 17C. what is the number 7?
Answer: Monseigneur, the report of the committee chaired by Reverend Father Oddoye on a survey of cocoa nti.
Q: And these documents were filed in court?
Ans: yes my Lord.
Q: Look at the document. It is signed by Dr. Anim Kwapong, Executive Director of CRIG.
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: It is stamped by Assistant CEOs A and QC and received December 6, 2016
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: This letter was accompanied by a transmission report addressed to the Deputy Director General A and the Quality Controller.
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: The attached report is signed on each page by Father Oddoye.
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: This is the disciplinary hearing in which the cocoa fertilizer authors participated.
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: and you were one of the authors of the report on cocoa-based fertilizers.
Ans: yes my Lord
Benson Nutsukpui: Monseigneur, I want to tender the document through the witness.
Dr. Alfred Arthur received a copy of the report of the committee that was investigating with his colleagues on cocoa.
Q: Please go to Room 18. Now, were you asked if you knew that samples had to be sent to COCOBOD? Read your answer.
Years: when I joined CRIG, I saw samples arrive at CRIG without resorting to COCOBOD. It was later in 2014 that a meeting was held at the club house and that all the samples had to go through the cocoa board.
Q: You also told the committee that you can take part in some aspects of the tests but not participate in the final report.
Ans: This is not correct.
Q: Now, on the same page 18, four lines from the bottom. You were asked if any of the scientists said that he had not participated in the research. What will your answer be?
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: read your answer
Years: one can be part of one activity or the other.
Q: When you were asked how you report, what did you say?
Answer: A scientist can write a report about his jurisdiction and we collect and compile
Q: You were asked if you had obtained the approval of the Deputy Director General A and the Quality Controller before going to the examination.
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: Read your answer.
Answer: My lord, I badumed under the e-mail that he sent me.
Q: You did not give copies of the e-mail of Drs Yaw Adu Ampomah, then Deputy Director General A and CQ ,?
Ans: No my lord
Q: Do you have?
Answer: No, my Lord, I did not send them the email.
Q: You were asked if you had informed the MTC of the receipt of samples.
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: Read your answer.
Ans: My lord, I was not aware of the existence of CTCM.
Q: Sir, so in 2013, when you took the cocoa product directly without going through COCOBOD, you were not aware of the existence of the CTCM.
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: It will be three years of your job.
Ans: Not exactly
Q: you were employed in 2010
Years: October
Q: I suggest that the CTCM was created by Dr. Amoah after taking office in 2009.
Ans: My Lord, I was working in October 2010, so in 2009, when the CTCM was created, I was not there.
Q: So you did not know about CTCM after two years of employment with CRIG.
Ans: yes my Lord
Q: You were asked if you had prepared the budget for the tests? Were you?
Ans: yes my lord
Q: what was your answer
Ans: My Lord, I remember telling them that I did not remember them.
Q: Your answer is in the third line of Exhibit 18, page 22. Read your answer.
Ans: My Lord, I do not remember. I was on duty excused for a while.
Q: Do you remember now?
Ans: No my lord
The case was postponed until February 25, 2019.
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