Officials at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) have rejected allegations that Deputy Chief Executive for Finance and Administration, Ato Boateng, is engaged in a conflict of interest involving Atlas Commodities Limited.
The response follows claims by Member of Parliament Vincent Ekow Assafuah, who has petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate the matter.
According to a statement addressing the allegations, Boateng resigned as a board director of Atlas Commodities Limited on Jan. 20, 2025. The statement said he subsequently transferred his shares in the company to Edinam Yao Cofie and George Ofori as trustees of a trust that was set up.
The statement further indicated that Boateng declared these changes in his assets and liabilities disclosure as required of public officers and lodged the declaration with the Auditor-General.
COCOBOD officials also clarified that the board does not hold shares in PBC Limited and therefore has no influence over the company’s management.
In explaining the administrative structure of COCOBOD, the statement noted that the regulation of Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) is supervised by the Deputy Chief Executive for Operations, while grading, sealing and quality supervision of cocoa are overseen by the Deputy Chief Executive for Agronomy and Quality Control.
The distribution and allocation of seed money to LBCs, it said, is handled by COCOBOD’s Research Department under the supervision of the Deputy Chief Executive for Operations and sanctioned by the board. The Deputy Chief Executive for Finance and Administration is responsible only for payments after approvals have been completed by the Chief Executive, the board and the Deputy Chief Executive for Operations.
The statement added that for the past two years COCOBOD has not provided seed money to LBCs to purchase cocoa beans. As a result, LBCs have had to secure funding independently, either through private buyers or bank loans.
Officials described the allegations that Boateng is using his current position to influence decisions in favor of Atlas Commodities Limited as “false,” and characterized them as an attempt to damage his reputation.
They also questioned why Assafuah has continued to speak publicly about the matter after petitioning the OSP and CHRAJ, rather than waiting for the outcome of those investigations.
The statement concluded that the facts demonstrate that Boateng is not engaged in any conflict of interest as alleged.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor and CHRAJ have yet to publicly comment on the petitions.
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Source: www.kumasimail.com
