The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine has been ordered to initiate a concurrent forensic audit and criminal investigation into the activities of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) covering the past eight years.
Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Thursday, February 12, 2026, said the directive aims to strengthen accountability and transparency in the cocoa sector.
“To ensure accountability and transparency in the management of Cocoa Board and the cocoa sector as a whole, Cabinet also directed the Attorney General to commission concurrent forensic audit and criminal investigation into the activities of Cocoa Board over the last eight years,” Dr. Forson emphasized.
He added that the Ministry of Finance has been tasked with implementing immediate reforms at COCOBOD to streamline operations and reduce costs. “Wasteful and uncontrolled expenditure practices are to be curtailed immediately,” he stressed.
Dr. Forson explained that years of mismanagement and unsustainable financing models had placed COCOBOD under severe financial strain, leading to liquidity challenges and delayed payments to cocoa farmers.
The forensic audit and criminal investigation are expected to uncover these past irregularities and guide the implementation of reforms to restore financial stability and ensure the long-term sustainability of the cocoa industry.
