A High Court sitting in Tamale has convicted four individuals, including former top executives of the Northern Development Authority (NDA) and a private sector executive, over corrupt procurement practices.
The convicts are Sumaila Abdul-Rahman, former Chief Executive Officer of the NDA; Stephen Yir-Eru Engmen, former Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Operations; Patrick Seidu, former Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Finance and Administration; and Andrew Kuundaari, Chief Executive Officer of A&QS Consortium Limited.
They were found guilty on seven out of eleven counts of corruption and corruption-related offences. The charges included conspiracy to directly or indirectly influence the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage in the award of a contract, directly or indirectly influencing the procurement process, corruption by a public officer, and corruption of a public officer.
These offences were committed in relation to procurement contracts awarded under the Government of Ghana’s Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) handled by the NDA.
The prosecution was initiated and conducted by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) following a thorough investigation into a complaint lodged by legal practitioner Martin Kpebu.
Delivering the judgment, the court declined to impose custodial sentences on the four individuals. The presiding judge explained that the decision was taken considering the advanced age of the convicts and the fact that no actual financial loss was suffered by the Republic, as the OSP acted swiftly to halt unlawful payments under the affected contract.
In place of prison terms, the court ordered each of the convicts to pay 1,000 penalty units for each count on which they were convicted.
Reiterating its stance after the verdict, the Office of the Special Prosecutor affirmed its firm commitment to safeguarding public funds and ensuring that public officials, as well as their private sector collaborators, are held accountable for corrupt practices.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
