The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has really helpful the prosecution of 4 individuals for respective breaches of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) in operations on the Northern Development Authority (NDA).
The 4 are the Chief Executive of the Northern Development Authority, Mr. Sumaila Abdul-Rahman; the Deputy Chief Executive (Operations) of the NDA, Mr. Stephen Yir-eru Engmen; the Deputy Chief Executive (Finance & Administration) of the NDA, Mr. Patrick Seidu and the Chief Executive of A&QS Consortium Limited, Mr. Andrew Kuundaari.
The findings are the outcomes of a six-month investigation triggered by a written grievance dated June 15, 2022, by Mr. Martin Luther Kpebu, a non-public authorized practitioner who requested for an investigation into the operations of NDA and the actions of its Chief Executive and Board Chairman.
The OSP interviewed twenty (20) individuals over a interval of 4 (4) months, as half of the investigation.
Report
The report by the OSP into the investigation dated January 24, 2023, discovered that Mr. Abdul-Rahman, Mr. Engmen, Mr. Seidu, and Mr. Kuundaari influenced the procurement course of to acquire an unfair benefit to A&QS within the procurement for consultants by the NDA below the Infrastructure for Poverty (IPEP) by growing the permitted procurement complete contract sum of GH₵5,720,000.00 by an quantity of GH₵4,680,000.00 to an quantity of GH₵10,400,000.00 with out lawful authority.
It additionally discovered that Mr. Kuundaari’s submission of invoices for the inflated GH₵10,400,000.00 contract sum was borne of mischief. It stated he knowingly submitted invoices on behalf of A&QS in extra of the permitted procurement complete contract sum of GH₵5,720,000.00) by an quantity of GH₵4,680,000.00).
The report added that he succeeded in securing approval for the fee of GH₵8,328,840.00), which exceeded the permitted procurement complete contract sum by an quantity of GH₵2,608,840.00 with an extra excellent quantity of GH₵2,071,160.00).
It stated the invoices have been “the building blocks of a carefully staged design to, directly and indirectly, influence the public procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage in the award of a procurement contract by NDA to A&QS under the IPEP”.
“Mr. Abdul-Rahman, Mr. Engmen, and Mr. Seidu intended their actions to, and their actions did in fact, directly or indirectly influence the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage to A&QS in the procurement for consultants by NDA under the IPEP by pushing through and/or approving and/or contributing to approve and/or contributing to cause the approval for payment to A&QS two (2) invoices totaling Eight Million Three Hundred and TwentyEight Thousand cedis Eight Hundred and Forty cedis (GHC8,328,840.00) and exceeding the approved procurement total contract sum of Five Million Seven Hundred and Twenty Thousand cedis (GHC5,720,000.00) by an amount of Two Million Six Hundred and Eight Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty cedis (GHC2,608,840.00) with a further outstanding amount of Two Million Seventy One Thousand One Hundred and Sixty cedis (GHC2,071,160.00), without lawful authority,” the report reads.
“Mr. Engmen intended his actions to, and his actions did in fact, directly and indirectly influence the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage to A&QS in the procurement for consultants by NDA for consultants under the IPEP by purporting, without lawful authority, to accept on behalf of NDA, an offer from A&QS for consultancy services for the design and supervision of construction infrastructure works and engineering services under the IPEP at a time when he was fully aware that NDA had not applied for PPA approval for the procurement of A&QS and PPA had not approved the procurement of A&QS by NDA”.
The report signed by the Special Prosecutor, Mr. Kissi Agyebeng additionally counseled the complainant, Mr Martin Kpebu for his public spiritedness and sense of responsibility.
It will probably be recalled that on July 1 final 12 months, the Special Prosecutor directed the Controller and Accountant General to instantly freeze funds to A&QS below NDA’s implementation of the IPEP till the shut of the investigation.
The report famous that whereas lifting that directive in precept, the Special Prosecutor advises all public officers within the approval chain to advert their minds to the tenor of a January 16, 2020, PPA approval for the procurement by NDA of A&QS and to make sure worth for cash. The tenor acknowledged that the prescribed full contract worth for the procurement of A&QS was GHC5,720,000.00.
About IPEP & NDA
In 2017, the ruling New Patriotic Party instituted the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (hereafter, IPEP) in fulfilment of a marketing campaign promise to scale back poverty, particularly in rural and disadvantaged communities, by way of the allotment of the cedi equal of One Million United States {dollars} to each electoral constituency.
In pursuance of the IPEP, the federal government created the Ministry for Special Development Initiatives and it additional established three growth authorities – Coastal Belt Development Authority, Middle Belt Development Authority and Northern Development Authority, which changed Savannah Accelerated Development Authority.
The Northern Development Authority was established below the Northern Development Authority Act, 2017 (Act 963) to mobilise sources for the accelerated financial and social growth of the Northern Development Zone – constituting the Northern, Savannah, North East, Upper West and Upper East Regions and comprising fifty-seven (57) electoral constituencies. It is headquartered in Tamale within the Northern Region.
Source: graphic.com.gh
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