Africa-Press – Ghana. The New Patriotic Party Minority Caucus in Parliament is calling for a full-scale investigation into alleged irregularities at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), citing potential conflicts of interest and siphoning of funds meant for cocoa farmers.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament House in Accra, on Monday, Mr. Vincent Ekow Assafuah, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, alleged that Atlas Commodities Limited, linked to COCOBOD’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ato Boateng, operated in government-owned warehouses without licenses, depriving the state of revenue.
“You cannot benefit from the same system you supervise,” he said.
As a result, the Minority demanded a criminal probe by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, to determine a constitutional conflict of interest, and a forensic audit of warehouse registrations and cocoa movement records.
He said: “Cocoa is too important to Ghana’s rural economy to allow regulatory compromise.”
According to Mr. Assafuah, the Minority’s probe highlighted concerns over transparency and accountability in Ghana’s cocoa sector, impacting farmers and the national economy.
