The Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine, has announced that his office will pursue 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 from the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
According to Dr Ayine, the funds—meant for a contractor working on a cocoa roads project—were wrongfully paid to a company incorporated by Kofi Akpaloo and his wife.
Addressing a press briefing in Accra on Monday [December 22, 2025], the Attorney-General said investigations revealed that money intended for Pomaa Universal Ghana Limited was instead channelled into Pomaah Universal Ghana Limited, a separate entity allegedly created by Akpaloo using a near-identical name.
Speaking on the matter, Dr Ayine said the suspects will be charged with stealing, forgery, and money laundering.
The Attorney-General explained that in December 2020, COCOBOD awarded a GH¢29.5 million contract to Pomaa Universal Ghana Limited—owned by Ekua Pomaa—for cocoa road construction works.
He said Kofi Akpaloo later registered another company, Pomaah Universal Ghana Limited, by inserting the letter “H” into the original company’s 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 said.
According to him, the suspicious transactions were flagged by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), which alerted the bank and prompted investigations by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
Dr Ayine further disclosed that Ekua Pomaa, the rightful contractor, was unaware of the diversion until June 2024, when COCOBOD contacted her over outstanding balances on the project.
“Our investigations show that Ekua Pomaa did not know about the existence of Pomaah Universal Ghana Limited or the diversion of the funds until COCOBOD reached out to her. She later realised the payments had been collected and redirected without her consent,” he said.
The Attorney-General added that Ekua Pomaa alleged Kofi Akpaloo forged her signature on the COCOBOD contract and used her former name, Mercy Owusu, to secure the agreement without authorisation.
Dr Ayine also revealed that First Bank Ghana Limited conducted an internal review and confirmed the cheques were knowingly paid into the wrong account. The bank, he said, admitted to lapses in identifying discrepancies between the cheque payee names and the beneficiary accounts.
He noted that three suspects will be charged: Kofi Akpaloo, Pomaah Ghana Universal Limited, and Mrs Delvin Akpaloo.
“It is fast becoming fashionable to commit crimes with spouses these days,” Dr Ayine remarked.
He said formal charges will be filed after the Christmas break when his office resumes work.
