100 Arrested For Diversion Of Cocoa

One hundred District Officers of Evadox, a private licensed cocoa buying company, have been arrested for the alleged disappearance of cocoa from their depots. Mr. Benjamin Kofi Nyakoh, General Manager, told journalists on Sunday that the arrest was meant to retrieve the cocoa. Explaining the incident, Mr. Nyakoh said the company started to buy the product for the 2007/2008 cocoa season after the Ghana Cocoa Board granted it a license to operate as a buying agency. He said money and logistics were sent to the District Officers to start buying cocoa in some centres in the Central, Eastern, Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions. According to him weekly reports were received from the officers that showed the quantity of cocoa at their depots. Based on the reports, the company sent inspectors who confirmed the quantity of cocoa at the depots and sent the figure to the Ghana Cocoa Board. He said the company sent trucks to convey the cocoa to the ports but found only empty depots. A meeting was held where the officers were given one week to produce the cocoa at the depots but they failed to do so. Mr. Nyakoh said then arranged for their arrest in order to retrieve the cocoa.