Fmr PPA Boss Banned From Holding Public Office for 10yrs Over Massive Corruption

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has disqualified former CEO of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) Adjenim Boateng Adjei, from holding public office for the next 10 years.

In addition, Adjenim Boateng Adjei has been directed to declare his assets in accordance with the Public Office Holder (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act, 1998 (Act 550) within three months and also refund to the state an amount of ¢5,697,530.00 within six months.

This declaration by CHRAJ follows fresh findings into alleged corruption and conflict of interest in the matter between the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) and Mr Boateng Adjei.

The GII petitioned CHRAJ in September 2019 to investigate if the PPA boss and other board members of the PPA acted criminally in setting up a company, Talent Discovery Ltd, which allegedly sold government contracts.

After several months of investigation by CHRAJ in the matter between the GII and the PPA boss, the Commission concluded that Adjenim Boateng Adjei together with a former member of the PPA board, Dr Emmanuel Yaw Boakye, are guilty of conflict of interest.

“In the case of Mr A. B. Adjei, his interest in TDL, a company with less than 3 years of existence yet won considerable public contracts and sold them without informing the awarding entity, did put him in a position of conflict of interest.

On the part of Dr Boakye, who was a Technical Director at the office of the Minister of Procurement, the General Secretary of the Christo Asafo Church and a member of the PPA Board, CHRAJ found out that his involvement with the Kristo Asafo Group of Companies and his failure to recuse himself during the 25th Meeting of the Board Technical Committee to consider the Ministry of Education’s request to use single-source procurement method to acquire 160 Kantanka Pickups vehicles from the Kantanka Automobile Limited in 2019 placed him in a conflict of interest position,” a statement from the GII stated.

In the full report by CHRAJ, the former PPA Board Chairman, Professor Douglas Boateng has also been disqualified from being appointed as Chair or member of any public board, Council or Commission for a period of not less than 2 years.

“The Commission is of the considered view that the disqualification should be limited to public boards, councils and commissions, and not to extend to Public Office generally, except, however, that he must comply with the mandatory exit requirement under Article 286(1) (c) to declare his assets and liabilities as a condition for consideration for future appointment to public office. He has 3 months from the date of this decision within which to provide evidence before the Commission that he has complied with Article 286(1) (c),” the report from CHRAJ stated.

CHRAJ also disqualified Dr. Emmanuel Yaw Boakye from being appointed a member of any public boards, councils and commissions for a period of 3 years.

The Commission however stated that “with the exception of Mr Adjenim Boaten Adjei, Prof. Douglas Boateng and Dr. Emmanuel Boakye, the Commission has not made any adverse findings against the other Board members. The allegations of corruption, sale of contract and others not specifically dealt with in this decision are matters that are receiving the attention of the OSP and EOCO.”

In a statement to highlight the findings by CHRAJ, the GII commended the Commission for a dispassionate and thorough work done and called on the Office of the Special Prosecutor to fast track the criminal investigations aspect of the case and ensure the law take its full course where culpability is established.

Source: myjoyonline