Dr. Stephen Opuni, former CEO of COCOBOD[/caption]
An Accra High Court has dismissed an application brought before it by Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board, to have his account unfrozen by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
Dr Opuni’s account has been frozen by EOCO pending judgement on his trial of willfully causing financial loss to the state, among other 26 charges.
He had applied to the Court to have his account unfrozen, arguing that the two accounts – at Standard Chartered Bank and Ecobank Ghana Limited – are not the subject of investigation in the trial.
The Court ordered EOCO on Monday, April 23 to unfreeze the account but on Monday Georgina Mensah-Datsa dismissed the application.
READ: Give Dr Stephen Opuni access to his bank accounts – Court orders
In her ruling, presiding judge Mensah-Datsa said EOCO has the mandate to protect state funds and would have been spared the current troubles if the Office had followed its mandate.
But the lead counsel for Dr Opuni said there was no surprise in the outcome of the ruling.
Speaking to journalists after the ruling, Victor Kojogah Adawudu said they will apply for the ruling to study it for the next line of action but the decision leaves the same court with two different orders.
“So, which one does she validate and which one can she say is not right…so the [High] Court itself has been put in a very different situation.”
He was forthwith with their reaction to the ruling.
“We disagree.”
Dr Opuni is currently on GH¢150,00-bail with the substantive case yet to begin.
He is facing a total of 27 charges together with one Seidu Agongo.
