A former Deputy Trades and Industry Minister in the erstwhile Mahama-led NDC government strongly believes certain people within the opposition party sold out the former Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Steven Opuni, just to make ends meet.
Murtala Ibrahim is also accusing the current administration of finding the "easiest target" for possible prosecution.
“I have monitored with profound dismay the kind of comments certain NDC people have made about Dr Opuni and for which reason they came to a conclusion that we should allow Dr Opuni to dry . . . it is not about Dr Opuni, it is about the NDC. What this government is doing is not about a person; you may think that today, it is against somebody and therefore allow the person to dry; what the NPP does is to find the easiest target to pick…”
Murtala Mohammed, a former NDC MP for Nanton constituency in the Northern Region, who was contributing to a panel discussion on Radio Gold’s Alhaji and Alhaji programme, also claimed the NPP's intended trial of Dr Opuni, is based on hearsay and lies sold to them by certain hypocrites within the NDC.
“You can’t listen to everybody and do whatever they say. If today you think it is Dr Opuni and so you will leave him, you are pouring poison in your own chalice. If you want to prosecute anybody, prosecute on principles, facts and not because you hate the person.
"I know that these people (NPP) have the courage to do what they are doing because there are still hypocrites within the NDC who have problems with certain individuals, and when we were in government they were giving baseless allegation and stories to them and there are still some of them whose stomach cannot blow air; they think that NDC is in opposition, they need something to chop they must go to the NPP with these absolute lies and they are hinging on those lies to prosecute people. You go to court to prosecute people with evidence supported by law. You don’t prosecute people with emotions, preposterous stories that are giving to you by people who cannot stand the test of incorruptibility," he added.
Background
Dr. Opuni has been accused of “abetting Mr. Agongo and Agricult Ghana Ltd. to defraud the COCOBOD the sum of GH¢43,120,000 between January 2014 and November 2014.
He has also been accused of abetting the businessman to defraud the state the sum of GH¢75,289,314.72 million between November 2014 and November 2015.
According to the suit, “Mr Seidu Agongo, between October 2015 and March 2016 in Accra in the Greater Accra Region with intent to defraud Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) obtained the consent of COCOBOD to part with the sum of GH¢98,935,974.50 by representing to COCOBOD that you will supply Lithovit Foliar Fertilizer from Germany for application by farmers on cocoa for the 2015/2016 cocoa season, a representation which you knew to be false at the time of making it.”
State prosecutors have also accused Dr Opuni of receiving GH¢25,000 as ‘kickback’ to influence the performance of his duties.
The two will appear before an Accra high court on Friday, February 23, 2018.
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com
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NDC, you were being served the food you prepared yourself , just try to eat and finish it . you can trade each other to the NPP .My only advive is that when next we ever have a party calle NDC in power , learn to appreciate everyone who contributed in their own small for the good of the party and stop the greed , selfishness and arrogance . NPP is very good at recognising every little effort from their members or whoever played a role at one point in time . NDC has a particular habit , when it comes to work, they give you all the respect the moment they achieve their aim you become enemies . Kwesi Pratt took it upon himself to even sound a word of caution to them but I guess by them everyone became superman / superwoman . Families becames worst enemies because of greed and ***barred word*** . Foot soldiers were ignored and so on . Only a few of them came to the level of everyone . well , a word to NDC is in Kokomlemle . cheers
As much as I suspect Opuni and Seidu Colluded to rip off the State, the kickback amount of 25,000ghc is quite questionable when his salary was about 70,000ghc or so and the contract sum was several millions of dollars. This seems to me that there is not much evidence of Opuni actually receiving cash from Seidu with the exception of the 25,000ghc. As much as I want Opuni and Seidu to go to jail if they really connived to rip off Ghana, I could easily floor the government in court regarding the 25,000ghc that Opuni received in his account provided Seidu was not caught on camera depositing the money or the money was not directly transferred from Seidus account to Opunis
Please help government identify the hard targets
Aaah mussa yussif murtala, so u mean to say, that after a year of building a case against opuni, a whole government will take opuni to court over these figures and sums, based on hearsays and backstabbing ? And there is nothing credible to prosecute him? Are u ok at all ? No wonder u could be a minister, only under mahama government! 1d10tic nansense
Wait and see