Vincent Ekow Assafuah is Member of Parliament for Old Tafo
The Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate what he describes as serious conflict-of-interest and regulatory breach concerns at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
In a press statement issued for immediate release, the MP raised red flags over the role of Ato Boateng, the Acting Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Finance and Administration at COCOBOD, citing his previous position as Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Commodities Limited in 2018.
According to the MP, the situation raises constitutional and regulatory concerns, especially given COCOBOD’s statutory mandate under the Ghana Cocoa Board Act to regulate Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs), supervise warehouses, enforce quality control standards, and safeguard the integrity of Ghana’s cocoa exports.
“The regulator cannot be the referee and at the same time a player within the same market structure it supervises,” the statement stressed.
Alleged warehouse and operational breaches
The MP referenced provisions in the Regulations and Guidelines for the Internal Marketing of Cocoa, 2015, as well as the Cocoa Industry Regulations, 1968 (L.I. 598), which require that storage sheds be inspected and certified, and that certificates issued are non-transferable and specific to the registered company.
He alleged that Atlas Commodities may have operated within warehouses registered under the Produce Buying Company (PBC), contrary to COCOBOD regulations which require each Licensed Buying Company to operate only within warehouses registered in its own name.
Reports, according to him, suggest that some of the alleged activities may have taken place across parts of the Central, Eastern, and Volta Regions.
He further cited claims that a PBC regional manager lodged a complaint at the Kadjebi Police Station over alleged irregular operations involving Atlas Commodities, which reportedly led to the interception of trucks and cocoa linked to the company.
Additionally, he indicated that four trucks carrying cocoa were reportedly intercepted at the Tema Port by National Security in connection with the matter.
“These developments elevate the seriousness of the issue,” the MP stated.
Constitutional questions raised
The MP invoked Article 284 of the 1992 Constitution, which prohibits public officers from placing themselves in situations where their personal interests conflict, or are likely to conflict, with their official duties.
He also cited Article 36, which mandates the State to safeguard the national economy and manage resources in the public interest.
“If established, these circumstances would raise serious concerns of regulatory compromise, abuse of office, and potential financial loss to the state,” the statement noted.
Farmers at the centre of the debate
The MP expressed concern that the allegations are emerging at a time when COCOBOD is reportedly struggling to meet some financial obligations to cocoa farmers.
“At a time when farmers are sacrificing daily to sustain the economy, the perception that private commercial activities may be thriving within the regulated space under questionable circumstances is deeply troubling,” he said.
He warned that regulatory leadership must not create even the appearance of benefiting from the very system it supervises.
Demands for full investigation
The MP is demanding:
A full criminal investigation by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
A constitutional conflict-of-interest determination by CHRAJ.
A forensic audit of warehouse registrations and cocoa movement records.
Full disclosure from COCOBOD, National Security, and relevant authorities.
Action in accordance with the law if wrongdoing is established.
“If there is no wrongdoing, investigation will clear the air. But if wrongdoing is confirmed, accountability must follow,” he emphasized.
Concluding his statement, the MP declared that cocoa remains too critical to Ghana’s rural economy to allow any regulatory compromise.
“The farmers deserve protection. The nation deserves transparency. The Constitution demands compliance. We will pursue this matter until the truth is fully established,” he said.
COCOBOD and the individuals named in the petition are yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
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Source:
www.ghanaweb.com