Seven CPC staff interdicted over GH¢4.37m audit findings

Seven staff members of Cocoa Processing Company PLC have reportedly been interdicted following revelations in a special audit conducted by the Ghana Audit Service, which cited GH¢4,373,355.04 as outstanding and unaccounted for in relation to the operations of the CPC Consumer Cooperative Shop.

Sources close to the company’s staff unions disclosed that the audit, which examined activities during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 financial periods and was completed in March 2026, uncovered significant irregularities involving products supplied to the union-operated consumer shop located within the company’s premises in Tema.

According to portions of the audit report sighted by this publication, the Ghana Audit Service found that the consumer shop, operated by workers through their unions, had accumulated indebtedness to the company amounting to GH¢4,373,355.04 as of September 2025 for products supplied by CPC.

The report further indicated that the consumer shop allegedly operated rent-free on the company’s premises and did not pay for utilities during the period under review. Auditors warned that the company’s financial position could be adversely affected if the receivables were not recovered promptly.

Information available to this publication indicates that four of the affected individuals served on the Consumer Shop Management Committee, two acted as patrons, while one functioned as the shop keeper responsible for the facility’s day-to-day operations.

Sources within the company say management moved swiftly after receiving the audit findings and subsequently issued formal audit queries to the affected staff members, requesting explanations regarding the irregularities identified in the report.

It is understood that the staff members were given the opportunity to respond to the allegations before the interdictions were imposed. Some of the officers are said to have denied wrongdoing and disputed aspects of the findings in their responses to management.

Additionally, documents sighted by this publication show that one of the interdiction letters, dated May 11, 2026, and signed by the Managing Director, Professor William Coffie, stated that management had reviewed the responses submitted by the affected officers but believed there had been “no headway” in resolving the matter.

The letter further stated that management considered it necessary to initiate further investigations to “arrive at a justifiable conclusion” while complying with the Ghana Audit Service’s recommendations for the recovery of the outstanding amount.

As part of the directives contained in the interdiction notices, the affected officers were instructed not to make any further withdrawals from the Consumer Shop’s bank accounts and to make themselves available for a comprehensive stock-taking exercise to be jointly conducted by the company’s Audit and Accounts Departments under the supervision of the Security Coordinator.

The interdicted staff are also expected to submit handing-over notes to management while remaining on two-thirds salary pending the outcome of investigations and the final determination of the matter, in accordance with the company’s collective agreement.

In its recommendations, the Ghana Audit Service urged CPC to immediately recover the outstanding receivables from the union-operated shop and ensure that rent, water, and electricity charges are properly accounted for going forward.

The development is already generating significant discussion among workers within the company, with some staff reportedly expressing concern over the scale of the amount involved and the potential implications for both management and the unions linked to the operation of the consumer shop.

At the time of filing this report, management of Cocoa Processing Company PLC had not issued any public statement beyond the contents of the interdiction letters sent to the affected officers.

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