Investigative Journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, was yesterday called to testify as the first witness for the Special Prosecutor (SP) in the case in which the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) Adjenim Boateng Adjei is standing trial for procurement breaches.
When the case was called at the Accra High Court presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekue Nsenkyire, Manessah was sworn in but his witness statement was not tendered into evidence.
This was because the defense lawyers indicated that they would raise objections to certain portions of the document prompting the court to ask the SP to rectify the portions under contention before the next date which was set for December 13, 2022.
Mr Agyenim Boateng Adjei and his in-law, Frank Kwaku Arhin have been indicted by the OSP on 18 counts of using public office for their personal gains.
Mr Agyenim Boateng faces 17 charges including seven counts of using public office for profit and 10 counts of directly and indirectly influencing the public procurement process using his office.
Francis Kwaku faces the charge of using public office for profit.
They have admitted no wrongdoing to all the charges.
Both men have been granted bail in the sums of GHc5 million each with two sureties to be justified.
The facts of the case are that, three months after his appointment as the CEO of the PPA, Mr Boateng Adjei allegedly established Talent Discovery Limited as the majority shareholder and Director.
The company allegedly took part in various restricted tenders organized by some government agencies.
According to the SP, the former PPA boss improperly and unlawfully conducted and participated in tendering processes in awarding governments contracts to Talent Discovery Limited without disclosing that he was a major shareholder.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on August 22, 2019, suspended Adjenim Boateng from office, following allegations made against him in a publication by investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, titled “Contracts for Sale”.
President Akufo-Addo subsequently referred the allegations involving conflict of interest to the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and those relating to potential acts of corruption to the OSP for prosecution.
It was based on recommendations from the CHRAJ report that Mr Boateng Adjei was sacked from office on October 31, 2019.
Per the CHRAJ report, the accused accounts since assuming office in 2017 stood at GH₵14.8 million from his four Dollar and Euro accounts held at two banks.
Per CHRAJ, Mr Adjei could not satisfactorily explain the source of the large volumes of cash that passed through his bank accounts between March 2017 and August 2019.
After concluding their investigations, CHRAJ found him guilty of conflict of interest in the performance of his duties for sidestepping procurement procedures for personal gains.
BY NANA BENTSI ODURO
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