The Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Finance and Administration at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Ato Boateng, has welcomed calls for investigations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) over alleged conflict of interest involving Atlas Commodities Limited.
The response follows demands by the Minority in Parliament, led by the Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, for a full criminal investigation into the operations of Atlas Commodities.
The Minority alleged that the company had been operating in warehouses registered under the Produce Buying Company (PBC) without proper authorisation and raised concerns about potential regulatory breaches and conflict of interest.
However, in a document released on Monday, February 23, Mr. Boateng described the claims as false and unfounded.
According to the statement issued in his defence, Mr. Boateng resigned as a director of Atlas Commodities Limited on January 20, 2025, prior to assuming his current position at COCOBOD.
He further transferred his shares in the company to Edinam Yao Cofie and George Ofori, who now serve as trustees of a trust established for that purpose.
The statement indicated that Mr. Boateng duly declared his previous interest in Atlas Commodities in his official Declaration of Assets and Liabilities, as required of public officers, and lodged the documentation with the Auditor-General.
Clarifying COCOBOD’s operational structure, the statement explained that the Board does not hold shares in PBC and therefore does not influence its management decisions.
It further noted that the regulation of Licensed Buying Companies falls under the Deputy Chief Executive for Operations, while grading, sealing and cocoa quality supervision are overseen by the Deputy Chief Executive for Agronomy and Quality Control.
Distribution and allocation of seed money to Licensed Buying Companies, when applicable, is handled by the Research Department under the Deputy Chief Executive for Operations and sanctioned by the COCOBOD Board.
The Deputy Chief Executive for Finance and Administration, the statement stressed, is responsible only for effecting payments after approvals have been secured from the Chief Executive, the Board, and the Deputy Chief Executive for Operations.
Additionally, the statement disclosed that for the past two years, COCOBOD has not provided seed money to Licensed Buying Companies to purchase cocoa beans.
Instead, the companies have relied on private buyers or bank financing to fund their operations.
Based on these explanations, the statement maintained that Mr. Boateng has not used his office to influence any decision in favour of Atlas Commodities Limited.
It also questioned why the Old Tafo MP continues to press the matter publicly after petitioning the OSP and CHRAJ, rather than awaiting the outcome of the investigations.
