Seven employees of Cocoa Processing Company PLC have been interdicted following audit findings by the Ghana Audit Service, which identified an outstanding and unaccounted amount of GH¢4,373,355.04 linked to the operations of the CPC Consumer Cooperative Shop.

The audit, which examined activities covering the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 financial years and was completed in March 2026, reportedly uncovered irregularities involving products supplied to the union-run shop located on the company’s premises in Tema.

According to excerpts of the report cited by Myjoyonline.com, the consumer shop, operated by workers through their unions, had accumulated debts to the company amounting to GH¢4,373,355.04 as of September 2025 for goods supplied by CPC.

The report also indicated that the shop operated rent-free on company premises and did not pay for utilities during the period under review. The auditors cautioned that failure to recover the receivables could adversely affect the company’s financial position.

The interdicted staff include Theodore Matey Tackey, Chairman of the Senior Staff Union; Abdul-Samed Adams, Chairman of the Junior Staff Union; George Yanney, Principal Accounts Officer; Daniel Mensah, Shop Keeper; Genevieve Pawar, Product Research and Development Manager; James Ababio, Production Manager (Confectionery); and Michael Eshun, Chief Engineer.

Information available indicates that four of the affected officers served on the Consumer Shop Management Committee, two acted as patrons, and one served as the shopkeeper responsible for day-to-day operations.

Sources within the company said management acted after receiving the audit findings and issued queries to the affected staff to explain the discrepancies identified.

The staff were reportedly given the opportunity to respond before the interdictions were imposed. Some of the officers are said to have denied wrongdoing and disputed aspects of the audit findings in their responses.

A letter of interdiction dated May 11, 2026, and signed by the Managing Director, Professor William Coffie, stated that management had reviewed the responses but found that there had been “no headway” in resolving the matter.

The letter added that further investigations were necessary to arrive at a conclusive determination, in line with the Ghana Audit Service’s recommendations for the recovery of the outstanding amount.

As part of the directives, the affected staff have been instructed to cease all withdrawals from the Consumer Shop’s bank accounts and to make themselves available for a full stock-taking exercise to be jointly conducted by the company’s Audit and Accounts Departments under the supervision of the Security Coordinator.

They are also required to submit handing-over notes and will remain on two-thirds salary pending the outcome of investigations, in line with the company’s collective agreement.

The Ghana Audit Service has recommended the immediate recovery of the outstanding receivables and urged CPC to ensure proper accounting for rent, water, and electricity going forward.

The development has triggered discussions among workers, with concerns raised about the scale of the amount involved and its implications for both management and the unions associated with the shop.

Management of Cocoa Processing Company PLC had, at the time of filing this report, not issued any public statement beyond the interdiction letters served to the affected staff.