OSP Fails to Comply with Court Orders on Former PPA Boss Case

The Office of the Special Prosecutor, OSP, is yet to comply with the Accra High Court’s directive to file disclosures in its criminal proceedings against former CEO of the Public Procurement Authority Adjenim Boateng Adjei. Principal Attorney at the OSP Adelaide Kobri-Woode apologised to the court and attributed the failure to file the documents to the bulky nature of the processes.

At the last sitting on April 22, the Court, presided over by Justice Marie-Louise Simmons ordered the Prosecution to file all disclosures and serve on the accused person before adjourning to Tuesday May 14, 2024, for Case Management Conference. However, prosecution was unable to comply with the directive of the Court.

The former boss of the Public Procurement Authority is before court for procurement breaches and pleaded not guilty to four new counts of using public office for profit and another four counts of indirectly influencing the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage in the award of a procurement contract.

A new charge sheet was filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor at the High Court in Accra last April 17. Mr Adjei was first put before the High Court in May 2022 on seventeen charges but that case was withdrawn. It is the case of the OSP that three months after his appointment as CEO of the Public Procurement Authority, Mr Adjei allegedly established Talent Discovery Limited as a majority shareholder and Director.

Principal Attorney Adelaide Kobiri Woode said the company participated in several restricted tenders organised by some government agencies. She said Mr Adjei at a time allegedly altered the decision of the Governing Board of PPA in favour of his company.

She states further that the former PPA boss improperly and unlawfully conducted and participated in tendering processes in awarding government contracts to Talent Discovery Limited without disclosing that he was a major shareholder of the company.

The OSP claims that the accused benefited personally through the use of public office for profit and influencing the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage. The court has since adjourned the case to May 23, 2024.