Attorney-General Moves to Prosecute Kofi Akpaloo Over GH¢3.17m COCOBOD Funds Diversion

The Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine, has announced plans to initiate legal action against the founder and leader of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Percival Kofi Akpaloo, over the alleged diversion of GH¢3,169,432.22 paid by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) for cocoa road works.

Addressing a press briefing in Accra on Monday, December 22, 2025, Dr Ayine said investigations revealed that Mr Akpaloo and his wife incorporated a company which was used to divert the funds in several tranches. The money, according to him, was meant for a different contractor.

Dr Ayine explained that the suspects would be charged with stealing, forgery, and money laundering. Investigations showed that payments intended for Pomaa Universal Ghana Limited were instead paid into the account of another company, Pomaah Universal Ghana Limited, which was created by Mr Akpaloo using a near-identical name.

He disclosed that COCOBOD awarded a GH¢29.5 million contract in December 2020 to Pomaa Universal Ghana Limited, a company owned by Ekua Pomaa, for cocoa road construction works. However, Mr Akpaloo later incorporated Pomaah Universal Ghana Limited by simply adding the letter “H” to the original company name.

“Between December 2022 and June 2024, Akpaloo collected eight cheques issued by COCOBOD in the name of Pomaa Universal Ghana Limited, totalling GH¢3,169,432.22, and paid them into the account of his own company, Pomaah Universal Ghana Limited, at First Bank Ghana Limited,” Dr Ayine stated.

He said the unusual transactions were flagged by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), which alerted the bank and prompted investigations by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

According to the Attorney-General, the rightful contractor, Ekua Pomaa, only became aware of the diversion in June 2024 when COCOBOD contacted her regarding outstanding balances on the contract.

“Our investigations show that Ekua Pomaa had no knowledge of the existence of Pomaah Universal Ghana Limited or the diversion of the funds until COCOBOD reached out to her. She later realised that the payments had been collected and redirected without her consent,” Dr Ayine said.

He added that Ms Pomaa also alleged that Mr Akpaloo forged her signature on the COCOBOD contract and used her former name, Mercy Owusu, to secure the agreement without her authorisation.

Dr Ayine further revealed that First Bank Ghana Limited conducted an internal review and confirmed that the cheques were knowingly paid into the wrong account. The bank also admitted lapses in failing to detect the discrepancy between the names on the cheques and the beneficiary accounts.

He said three suspects would be charged, namely Kofi Akpaloo, Pomaah Universal Ghana Limited as a company, and Mrs Delvin Akpaloo.

“It is fast becoming fashionable to commit crimes with spouses these days,” Dr Ayine remarked.

He added that the charges would be formally filed after the Christmas break, when his office resumes work.