The former Public Procurement Authority head, Agyenim Boateng Adjei, and his brother-in-law, Francis Kwaku Arhin, have both been granted bail in the corruption prosecution by the High Court (Criminal Court 3 Division).
The two pleaded not guilty to 18 counts of use of public office for profit, a charge that comes under the ambit of the office of the Special Prosecutor.
The Court thus admitted them to a bail sum of GH¢5 million with 2 sureties each. The sureties are each to deposit their national IDs with the Court’s registry.
Mr. Agyenim Boateng has also been ordered to deposit his passport with the court until the final determination of the case.
Francis Kwaku Arhin, on the other hand, has been allowed to retain his passport on compassionate grounds.
Lawyer for the former PPA CEO, Kwame Acheampong Boateng, in an interview with the media after court proceedings on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, expressed worry that the case has already been prejudiced against his client in the media space.
But he says he is confident that the Court will do justice to the case.
The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyabeng, on the other hand, who led an army of lawyers on the case, told the media he believes in the strength of his case.
Meanwhile, the court has directed the parties to file all documents they would be relying on within four weeks.
The case has been adjourned to June 28, 2022.
Background
These charges are the culmination of investigative work by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.
In his investigation, a company known as Talent Discovery Limited (TDL), owned by Mr. Adjei, was getting government contracts through restricted tendering and selling those contracts to others for profit.
The contracts were public works contracts awarded by the Ministry of Works and Housing, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Special Development Initiatives, Ministry of Inner-City & Zongo Development, and the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority.
According to the facts of the case, Mr. Adjei once altered the decision of the PPA Board in favour of Talent Discovery Limited.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor probed the corruption concerns that emerged, while the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice looked into the conflict of interest aspects of the case.
After investigating Mr. Adjei, CHRAJ found him guilty of conflict of interest, saying the money accrued in his accounts since assuming office in 2017 stood at GHS 14.8 million from his four Dollar and Euro accounts held at two banks.
According to CHRAJ, Mr. Adjei could not satisfactorily explain the source of the large volumes of excess wealth that passed through his bank accounts between March 2017 and August 2019.
The Special Prosecutor also noted that Mr. Adjei “amassed fantastic funds in his bank accounts within a very short time.”
“The First and Second Accused perversely benefited pecuniarily through the use of public office for-profit and influencing the public procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage.”
