The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has ordered former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Adjenim Boateng Adjei to refund the sum of over GHC5 million to the state with further sanctions.
He is to refund GH¢5,697,530 within six months.
This is as a result of a petition filed by anti-graft body, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) following an investigative documentary by Manasseh Azure Awuni on how the former PPA CEO established a company to which contracts were reportedly diverted to.
Operating a dodgy company, Talent Discovery Limited (TDL), incorporated in June 2017 which A.B Adjei happens to be a shareholder, it won a number of government contracts through restrictive tendering with monies accrued sitting in the personal bank account of Mr Boateng Adjei.
In its petition on October 4, 2019, GII urged CHRAJ to investigate officials of TDL, especially Thomas Amoah as well as those public officers of procurement entities for their involvement in corruption in the award of contracts to TDL and the “sale” of contracts.
In the CHRAJ findings, Mr Boateng Adjei was said to have put himself in a conflict of interest position, abused his office on two occasions and failed to declare his assets as required by Chapter 24 of the 1992 Constitution.
Therefore, he is not to take any public office for the next 10 years and ordered to declare his assets within three months in accordance with Article 28(1)(c) of the Constitution.
However, Adjenim Boateng Adjei sued CHRAJ, requesting the court to set aside its findings against him.
Mr. A.B Adjei was asking the court to issue an order of certiorari to quash CHRAJ’s ruling on grounds that it breached the rules of natural justice; however, the court presided over by Justice Elfreda Amy Dankyi ruled otherwise.
According to the fomer PPA boss, he was not given a fair hearing by CHRAJ in the case in which he was found guilty of conflict of interest in the award of government projects.
By Vincent Kubi