Special Prosecutor chases former PPA boss

The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng has charged the former Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Adjenim Boateng Adjei with corruption offences in the ‘Contracts for Sale’ scandal.

Mr. Adjenim Adjei has been slapped with 18 charges by the Special Prosecutor for his role in selling of government’s contracts by companies he is affiliated to.

His brother-in-law, Francis Kwaku Arhin who owns shares together with Adjenim Adjei in the company, Talent Discovery Limited (TDL), involved in the scandal was also not spared as he has also been slapped with a count relating to his role in the offence.

The two are to appear before the Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra to answer to the charges following the filing of the case by OSP on Wednesday, May 18, 2022.

Per a report, the charges are related to using public office for profit, contrary to section 179C(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

The remaining charges also include 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).

Mr Adjei was suspended and subsequently sacked from office by President Akufo-Addo following an investigative documentary by Manasseh Azure Awuni in 2019, which revealed a company he co-owned, has been selling government contracts it won through single-sourced and restrictive tendering, to the highest bidder.

In suspending him, President Nana Akufo-Addo also directed CHRAJ and the Office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate his appointee for conflict of interest and corruption.

CHRAJ after its investigations in 2020 found Adjenim Boateng Adjei guilty of conflict of interest and unfit for any public office.

Interestingly, the report indicates that all the monies in the accounts have been withdrawn.

This is because the freezing order expired and Mr. Adjei applied to the court to have it lifted. The sources say the OSP could not have kept the account frozen for more than 12 months without acting on the reason for which the account was frozen, for which reason the court could grant an extension.

In the intervening period between his resignation and the assumption of office of his successor, AB Adjei went to court and had the freezing order lifted on various accounts he held.