The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that the Government has demanded a refund of $2 million from JA Plant Pool Ghana Limited following the discovery of financial irregularities in the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) contract.

Addressing journalists at the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, Dr Ayine revealed that the anomaly was uncovered during a forensic review of the $176 million contract awarded to the company.

According to him, payment records showed that JA Plant Pool received $178 million — an excess of $2 million above the approved contract sum.

“In the case of DRIP, JA Plant Pool was overpaid by $2 million. The contract sum was $176 million, but when we examined the invoices, it turned out that $178 million had been paid. We therefore instructed that the \$2 million be refunded,” Dr Ayine stated.

He further revealed that the audit uncovered the unlawful clearance of 190 pieces of equipment under the pretext of tax exemption, resulting in an estimated tax evasion of GH¢38.7 million.

“When the analysis was done based on the HS codes, it emerged that GH¢38.7 million worth of tax had been evaded. We have therefore demanded payment of both sums,” he said.

Dr Ayine also indicated that the investigation exposed significant over-invoicing of equipment supplied under the programme, with price mark-ups ranging between 100 and 300 percent.

“One piece of equipment that actually cost \$40,000 was invoiced at $84,000 — an increase of over 110 percent,” he noted.

He added that a team of investigators is undertaking a meticulous item-by-item review of all equipment supplied under the DRIP contract to ensure watertight evidence for potential prosecution.

“We are going through every single item because, in criminal law, charges must be precise — and if you miss that specificity, your case could be thrown out,” the Attorney General said.