Supreme Court yanks Honyenuga off Opuni, Agongo case

The Supreme Court has, today, Wednesday, 28 July 2021, barred High Court Judge Clemence Jackson Honyenuga from hearing the case involving ex-COCOBOD CEO Stephen Opuni and businessman Seidu Agongo.

The court also said the issues Justice Honyenuga dismissed while hearing the case will be admitted.

Justice Honyenuga has been accused of political bias against the accused persons.

It is recalled that in a video that went viral ahead of the 2020 polls, Justice Honyenuga, in his stead as Torgbui Ashui Nyagasi V of the Nyagbo Traditional area, told president Akufo-Addo during his tour of the Volta Region that “…we wish to congratulate you for the excellent manner you are governing this dear country of ours, it is our hope that with your vision and the gains made in your first term, Ghanaians may consider giving you another four years”.

The lead counsel for Dr Opuni, Mr Samuel Codjoe, raised objections to the judge’s continuous sitting on the case since, in his estimation, the supposedly criminal case has metamorphosed into a political one with some NPP bigwigs including a deputy Attorney General, Mr Godfred Dame, backing the re-election bid of the governing party on the success of this case.

This, he said, makes the judge unfit to continue the trial since his comments seem to align with the aspirations of the NPP.

Justice Honyenuga, in his ruling on March 16, 2020, dismissed the motion for his recusal describing it as incompetent and misconceived.

He further described the allegations of bias against him as “mere perceptions and exaggerated to suit the first accused and others” adding that “the allegations, the alleged comments are non-judicial and will not constitute bias or any other matter”.





On July 13, lawyers of Dr Opuni told the Supreme Court about how one of two pieces of evidence that gave contrasting accounts on Lithovit fertiliser, was rejected by Justice Clemence Honyenuga, as he sought the judge’s removal from the case.

Moving the application, Mr Codjoe argued that ”a statement given by a farmer, which said Lithovit fertiliser was good, was rejected and another one which a farmer said Lithovit was bad, was accepted.”

He contended that the accused person senses a possible bias and would not be given a fair hearing if the judge is allowed to continue with the case.

Dr Opuni and businessman Seidu Agongo are in court for allegedly causing GHS217 million financial loss to the state in connection with the procurement of fertiliser by COCOBOD.

The two men have been standing trial since 2017.

Source: classfmonline.com