Special Prosecutor probes Northern Development Authority
The Special Prosecutor (SP), Kissi Agyebeng, has invited the Coordinator for Special Initiatives at the Jubilee House, Clara Napaga Tia Sulemana, for questioning over alleged corruption and corruption-related offences at the Northern Development Authority (NDA).
Also invited for questioning are several serving officials, including the chief executive of the authority, and relevant past officials of the NDA and officials of A&Q’s Consortium.
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A press statement from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), dated July 26, 2022, said: “All the invited persons have been placed on bail.”
Investigations
Signed by the SP, the statement said the OSP had commenced investigations into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences at the NDA.
The contract was awarded to A&Q’s Consortium for consultancy services under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme.
It said the investigations were focusing on areas including the quantum of the contract sum.
Freeze payments
The statement indicated that on July 1, this year, the SP directed the Controller and Accountant-General to immediately freeze payments arising from the contract.
“All persons deemed culpable by the SP for corruption and corruption-related offence(s) will be charged and arraigned before the High Court for prosecution,” it added.
Petition
The Daily Graphic learnt that a private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, had petitioned the SP to investigate the alleged shady contract at the NDA.
According to the petitioner, the sum of the contract awarded to A&Q’s Consortium was clothed in corruption.
A&Q’s Consortium was reportedly contracted to supervise the implementation of the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) in some communities in the Upper West Region.
Further inquiries
Further inquiries by the Daily Graphic at the OSP indicated that the SP was reviewing investigations by his office into corruption and corruption-related offences at NDA.
The investigations will determine the sufficiency of evidence against those being investigated and even order further investigations, if need be.
“That is why the suspects have been granted bail, pending charge and prosecution,” a highly placed source at the office said.
Background
Earlier last year, a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NDA, Dr Sulemana Anamzoya, had accused his successor of allegedly perpetrating financial malfeasance in his (Anamzoya’s) name with respect to a contract awarded to A&Q’s Consortium.
In a petition to the Presidency, Dr Anamzoya detailed how the Sumaila Abdul Rahman-led management at the NDA had committed the alleged fraud in his (Dr Anamzoya’s) name.
Dr Anamzoya accused Abdul Rahman of falsifying figures and forging his (Dr Anamzoya’s) signature in a GH¢10,400,000 contract.
According to him, the only contract he had awarded to A&Q’s while in office was in the sum of GH¢5,720,000.
“Quite recently, my attention was drawn to a contract purportedly signed by me while I was in office as the acting CEO of the NDA, a consultancy service contract to A&Q’s Consortium (A&Q’s) in the sum of ¢10,400,000 under the IPEP,” the petition said.