“So you want the court to believe that the whole investigation team flew to Germany and brought back a sample of Lithovit and not a page report?” the defence counsel for second and third accused persons (A2 & A3) curiously asked an investigator in a cocoa trial, which involves some US$64,200 million.

According to Nutsifafa Nutsukpui, counsel for Seidu Agongo (A2 and A3) it was practically impossible for the Attorney-General’s office by a letter addressed to Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the then Senior Minister, dated August 20, 2019 would send a team of investigators to Germany to discover the truth about Lithovit fertiliser and would return with no report.

The lawyer while cross examining the investigator, Chief Inspector Thomas Prempeh Mercer of the Financial Forensic Unit (FFU) of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) today at the court presided over Justice Clemence Honyenuga, pointed out that the only reason crippling the state from putting into evidence information gathered on Lithovit from the manufacturers was that it does not support prosecution’s case

Mr Nutifafa was emphatic that the team visited Lithovit manufacturers, Tribodyn in Ghana and no report had been put on record as evidence in the court to establish the 27 charges brought up against him, his company, Agricult Ghana Limited and the then boss of COCOBOD, Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni.

However, the Chief Inspector refuted the claims and explained that although the team had a report on the trip, he only had the opportunity to be briefed on its outcome. Chief Inspector Mercer went on to say that the team, which included his immediate boss, Chief Superintendent Regina Tangey rather brought a sample of Lithovit foliar fertiliser, which was in a solid form of powdery.

He also told the court the company in question, manufacture and supplies the lithivot fertiliser in solid form and it is supposed to be mixed at the point of application. Hitherto, Mr Agongo and his company do otherwise by selling to COCOBOD already dissolved in a concentration.

The investigator claimed Agricult allegedly sold an inferior product to COCOBOD for onward dis distribution to farmers in cocoa growing districts, however, could not state total hectares of land being used to cultivate cocoa beans in the country.

Mr Nutsukpui also added that the 2.4 million litres of Lithovit purchased by COCOBOD between 204 and 2016 would be woefully inadequate to apply to cocoa tree in all the 60 cocoa growing districts under the Cocoa Health and Extension Division.

By Adelaide Oforiwaa