Special Prosecutor 'slaps' former PPA boss with 17 charges
Former PPA boss pleads not guilty
Former Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Adjenim Boateng Adjei, and his brother-in-law, Francis Kwaku Arhen, have been granted bail of ¢5million with two sureties.
The PPA boss is facing charges of “using public office for profit, contrary to section 179C(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29)” and “Directly and indirectly influencing the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage in the award of a procurement contract, contrary to section 92(2)(b) of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663),” among others
His brother-in-law Francis Kwaku Arhin is also facing one count for his role in the scandal.
By court, Francis Kwaku Arhin is not required to submit his passport because he has a newborn and he is resident in the United Kingdom, 3news.com reports.
While Adjenim Boateng Adjei is to deposit his passport until the final determination of the case.
The two pleaded not guilty to the charges
The case has been adjourned to June 28.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor announced on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, that Adjenim Boateng Adjei will face charges for his role in the “Contracts for Sale” scandal uncovered in an investigative piece by Manasseh Azure Awuni.
According to the statement, a brother-in-law of Adjenim Adjei, Francis Kwaku Arhin, is also facing one count for his role in the scandal.
The charges pressed against the two include: “using public office for profit, contrary to section 179C(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29)” and “Directly and indirectly influencing the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage in the award of a procurement contract, contrary to section 92(2)(b) of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663).”
The case against the two was filed at the Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra on Wednesday, May 18, 2022.
About the ‘Contracts for Sale’ investigation
TWI NEWS
Manasseh’s piece dubbed “Contracts for Sale” realized the transfer and deposit of millions of monies into Adjenim Adjei’s accounts while he was in office.
For the two and half years that he was head of PPA, Adjenim Adjei accumulated more than GH¢41 million in his cedi, dollar and euro accounts.
The investigation by Manasseh Azure Awuni found that the CEO formed a company, named Talent Discovery Limited, with his brother-in-law after he was appointed the CEO of the PPA.
This company is said to have won a number of government contracts, which were approved by the PPA board of which Mr. Adjei was a member through the restrictive tendering method.
Manasseh’s investigation found that the company could not execute the contracts and that, Talent Discovery Limited went on to sell the contracts to individuals and companies without the knowledge or approval of the awarding entities.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, following the premiere of Manasseh’s Contract for Sale video, suspended AB Adjei in August 2019.
The president further referred Mr. Adjei to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to investigate his conduct.
CHRAJ in 2020 released a report on its investigation conducted into the matter and found Mr Adjenim guilty of conflict of interest and other offences.
CHRAJ subsequently banned Mr Adjei from holding public office for 10 years. An appeal that was later filed on his behalf at the High Court against the ban failed.
“We find the Respondent’s [Mr. Adjei’s] explanation was completely unsatisfactory and that he could not explain the source of the large volumes of excess wealth that passed through his bank accounts between March 2017 and August 2019 (unexplained wealth),” CHRAJ’s report said.
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