An opposition lawmaker has urged President John Dramani Mahama to direct the Deputy Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board in charge of Finance and Administration to step aside pending investigations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).

The call comes from Vincent Ekow Assafuah, MP for Old Tafo, who said the move is necessary to protect the integrity of probes into alleged regulatory breaches and conflicts of interest involving Ato Boateng.

Allegations

The allegations stem from Mr Boateng’s previous association with Atlas Commodities Limited, a cocoa buying firm reportedly operating in warehouses registered to the Produce Buying Company (PBC) without proper authorisation.

The Minority in Parliament claims this could compromise his role at COCOBOD.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Mr Assafuah said:
Per Mr. Boateng’s reaction, there was no denial or admission that Atlas Commodities Limited has been using warehouses belonging to the state. By his conduct, he has agreed to the veracity of the claim.

He further alleged that official records at the Registrar-General’s Department contradict Mr Boateng’s claims that he relinquished his shares in the company.

The argument that he transferred his shares is not supported by documents from the Registrar-General’s Department, which still list him as holding 1,600 shares in Atlas Commodities Limited, making him a majority shareholder, Mr Assafuah said.

The MP also warned of attempts to alter the company’s shareholding structure after he made the allegations public.

There are attempts to transfer Ato Boateng’s shares completely to one Yao Edinam, a minority shareholder, after I made public these revelations in an attempt to purge the COCOBOD Deputy Managing Director of wrongdoing and perpetuate a crime against the state, he claimed.

He added: “I am putting the Registrar-General’s Department on notice not to attempt to tamper with any information relating to this matter.”

I call on the President, as a matter of urgency, to ask the Deputy CEO to step aside pending the outcome of investigations by CHRAJ and the OSP, as he attempts to tamper with evidence against his potential culpability.

No wrongdoing

Mr Boateng has denied wrongdoing, describing the allegations as “false and unfounded,” and welcomed the investigations.

He stated that he resigned from Atlas Commodities Limited on 20 January 2025 and transferred his shares to trustees under a trust arrangement.

He also said he declared his former interest in the company to the Auditor-General.

He further clarified that COCOBOD does not hold shares in PBC and does not influence its management, and that his role as Deputy Chief Executive for Finance and Administration is limited to effecting payments after approvals by the Chief Executive, the Board, and the Deputy Chief Executive for Operations.

Source: Asaase Radio