Witness in Opuni trial says Scientific report on fertiliser inaccurate, unreliable

The ninth defense witness in the trial involving Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, the former Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), and two others, has doubted the reliability and validity of the prosecution's scientific findings on Lithovit fertilizer.

Dr. Opuni, along with businessman Seidu Agongo, stands accused of causing financial losses exceeding GH¢271 million to the state through questionable fertilizer transactions during his tenure at COCOBOD.

As part of its evidence, the prosecution submitted a scientific report prepared by P. Quartey-Papafio, a Senior Standards Officer from the Ghana Standards Authority. The report concluded that the examined sample could not be classified as a pesticide, fungicide, or fertilizer. 

Key findings stated:

• "The sample cannot be classified as pesticide, fungicide, or fertilizer. The strong ammonia odor is attributed to urea, and its application on cocoa seedlings and plants is not recommended. The sample has been adulterated and does not meet standard specifications. It is unfit for its intended purpose."

The report further claimed that using the fertilizer as a foliar nutrient at any growth stage could harm humans, animals, and aquatic ecosystems.

Testifying before the High Court, presided over by Justice Aboagye Tandoh, Dr. Samuel Akoto Bamford, a Principal Research Scientist from the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, challenged the credibility of Quartey-Papafio's findings. Under the guidance of Seidu Agongo’s lawyer, Benson Nustukpui, Dr. Bamford criticized the methods used in the report, describing them as unclear and inconsistent with established scientific protocols.

Dr. Bamford,who is an expert argued that the Quartey-Papafio report failed to meet standard fertilizer analysis practices.