Dr. Kwabena Opuni
The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Gloria Afua Akuffo, has indicated the readiness of her office to provide Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni with all the documents that the prosecution intends to rely on in prosecuting him for causing financial loss to the state.
According to her, the prosecution has nothing to hide as far as the trial is concerned and will, therefore, make the documents available to him in the spirit of fairness and justice.
She stated that it is the right of every individual to defend themselves, particularly when it is in line with the principle that they are presumed to be innocent until proven otherwise.
Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo
The AG’s comments follow a motion the lawyer for Dr. Opuni filed at the high court, charging the prosecution to furnish them with documents they intend to rely on for the trial.
According to the motion, the lawyer is demanding all documents, including all statements of prosecution witnesses to be called during the trial.
In all, he is praying the court to order the prosecution to provide him with about 13 documents.
In response, the AG says her office will provide the prosecution documents to the former CEO of COCOBOD, as far as the trial is concerned.
She, however, pointed out that the provision of the documents would be done according to what the law provides.
Dr. Opuni, former CEO of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) under the previous Mahama administration and businessman Seidu Agongo are before an Accra high court for causing financial loss to the state to the tune of GH¢217,370,289.22.
The two are facing a total of 27 charges, including defrauding by false pretence, willfully causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, corruption by a public officer and contravention of the Public Procurement Act.
They have each been granted a GH¢300,000 self-cognizance bail by the court, presided over by Justice Jackson Clemence Honyegah, a Court of Appeal judge sitting as an additional high court judge, after they pleaded not guilty to all the 27 charges proffered against them.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak