SUSPENDED! AB Adjei
THE BOARD of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) has welcomed the directives of President Akufo-Addo for the office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate alleged procurement misconduct against the suspended CEO of the Authority, Adjenim Boateng Adjei.
In a statement issued yesterday, the PPA board declared its preparedness to cooperate with the investigations.
It said upon conclusion of the investigations instituted by the President, “the role of the board of the PPA in granting of approvals for restricted tendering and single source procurement in accordance with Sections 38, 40 and 41 respectively of the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended will be understood.”
The statement indicated that the conclusion of the investigation would further show that the PPA board does not influence tender processes conducted in accordance with Act 663 as amended.
“In addition, we are optimistic that it becomes clearer to the public that the board does not have any control over the selection of suppliers, contractors and consultants for goods, works and services presented by procurement entities in their applications for approval for restricted and single source procurement processes,” it indicated.
It added that the investigations would not disrupt the operations of the PPA.
The beleaguered PPA CEO was suspended on Thursday by the President over alleged procurement misconduct which has generated a lot of national discussions.
A letter signed by Eugene Arhin, Director of Communications at the Presidency, last Thursday said the suspension “follows the broadcast of allegations made against him in an investigative documentary conducted by Manasseh Azuri Awuni titled ‘Contracts For Sale’.
It said President Akufo-Addo has “subsequently referred the allegations involving conflict of interest to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice and those relating to potential acts of corruption to the Office of Special Prosecutor for their prompt action.”
Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, in an exposé titled ‘Contracts For Sale’, was able to reveal that Talent Discovery Limited (TDL), a company incorporated in June 2017 and has links with the PPA boss, won a number of government contracts through restrictive tendering.
The journalist also reported that the company was engaged in selling contracts. Undercover encounters with the General Manager of the Company, Thomas Amoah, revealed that the company was selling a GH¢22.3 million road contract to K-Drah Enterprise, a fake company Manasseh used for the investigation.
This contract was awarded to B-Molie Limited, a company Mr. Amoah said was a sister company of TDL.
The company also had for sale a Ministries of Works & Housing contract to construct a concrete drain in Santa Maria in Accra, as well as a contract to build a one-storey dormitory block in the Asante Akim North District.
The revelation has rekindled heated political debate as far as the fight against corruption in the country is concerned.
Emile Short
A former head of the Commission on Human Rights & Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Justice Francis Emile Short, waded into the debate on what constitutes conflict of interest.
According to him, the 1992 Constitution of Ghana has neither defined the meaning nor scope of conflict of interest.
Justice Short said on Adom FM in Accra yesterday that “the Conduct of Public Officers Bill 2013”, which explains what constitutes conflict of interest is yet to be passed by Parliament into law.
He said the time has come for Ghana to define what constitutes a conflict of interest situation and related offences such as gift taking and assets declaration.
Justice Short mentioned that this has been a battle the Ghana Anti-corruption Coalition has been involved in since 2013, it was yet to make progress.
“The Ghana Anti-corruption campaign has been calling on Parliament to pass this Bill as quickly as possible because it is a very critical and an important piece of legislation in the fight against corruption,” Mr. Short said.
He explained that that CHRAJ has, over the years, been relying on a draft guideline the organisation did to determine complaints of conflict of interest.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak