The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has found the Ghana Airport Company to have consistently breached the procurement laws.

According to the Commission, the Airport Company since 2018 undertook the procurement of Christmas trees with public funds but failed to comply with the procurement laws.

In January 2022, a complainant, Sacut Amenga Etego petitioned CHRAJ to investigate possible abuse of office in the 2021 procurement of a Christmas tree for decorative purposes at a cost of GHȼ128,000.

The investigation also found the board chairman Paul Adom Okyere, to have interferred in the day-to-day administration of the company as well as discussing matters of the company in the media.

It counseled that “the Board Chairman of a state-owned company has no locus in procurement matters.”

It said Paul Adom Okyere’s active participation in the procurement process of the GACL was a form of interference in the management functions of the company and therefore contrary to the principles of good corporate governance.

While the Commission was unable to grant in full, Relief 1 of the complainant, (A declaration that Paul had breached several provisions of the Public Procurement Law, the Public Financial Administration Law, and the Principles of Corporate Governance in the procurement of Christmas Trees in December 2021), it recommended that Paul Adom Okyere “restrain himself from interfering in the work of management and restrict himself purely to his prescribed functions as Board Chairman.”

It added that his public commentary on matters involving the GACL was contrary to the principles of good corporate governance and as such he must desist from doing so as long as he remains the Board Chairman.

The Commission further directed that the GACL subjects its rental of Christmas trees to the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663), saying the anomaly may have resulted from the lack of a clear interpretation of what constitutes 'Procurement'. It therefore urged the Public Procurement Authority to take steps to amend Act 663 to clearly include an interpretation of the term ‘procurement’.