COCOBOD trial: Opuni did not order shortening of Lithovit testing at any meeting - RM&E Director

Francis Baah, Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), has told the court hearing the GH₵217-million financial loss case against then-CEO Dr Stephen Opuni and two others, that he does not remember being part of any meeting within the organisation at which the former CEO, who is the first accused person, instructed that the testing period for Lithovit liquid fertiliser be shortened.

In his evidence-in-chief, the second defence witness of businessman Seidu Agongo (second accused person) and his company, Agricult Ghana Limited (third accused person), said contrary to the testimony of Dr Franklin Amoah (a former Executive Director of CRIG), that they took part in a meeting with Dr Opuni, Deputy Chief Executive James Kofi Kutsoatse and other scientists, on 10 October 2018, he could not recall any such meeting.

However, he said he could only recall a meeting that took place among Dr.

Asked by Mr Agongo's lead counsel, Benson Nutsukpui, if Mr Andrew Yaw Akrofi, a scientist, was at that meeting, Dr Baah reaponded: "I cannot recall because if you look at the subject matter, I don’t understand how Akrofi comes in.".

Amoah alleged that at this meeting, Dr.

Were you at that meeting, and did you hear that?"

Again, he was asked: "Were you at any meeting while you served as the office manager of the Chief Executive and as the Executive Director of CRIG where Dr