The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyabeng, has ordered for the criminal prosecution of the Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Development Authority (NDA) and his two deputies

Sumaila Abdul-Rahman and his deputies, Stephen Yir-eru Engmen, and Patrick Seidu were cited in the Special Prosecutor’s report for breaches of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) in the activities of NDA and A&QS Consortium Limited.

Chief Executive of A&QS Consortium Limited, Andrew Kuundaari, was also cited and will face criminal prosecution for his role.

Already, the two deputies of the NDA were asked to step aside by President Akufo-Addo.

The OSP subsequently started formal investigation into the activities of the NDA upon a petition by Martin Kpebu in June 2022.

Prior to Mr Kpebu’s petition, a former NDA CEO petitioned the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, over a fraud issue involving his successor.

Dr Sulemana Anamzoya, in the petition, accused his successor, Sumaila Abdul Rahman, of fraudulently falsifying figures and forging his signature to cash in a ¢10,400,000 contract.

The two-page petition, which was copied to President Akufo-Addo, detailed how the Sumaila Abdul Rahman-led management committed the fraud in his name.

Mr Kpebu subsequently drew the attention of the Office of the Special Prosecutor to the matter.

“In the circumstances, kindly investigate the cases presented above in accordance with your mandate as by law stipulated in the Office of Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) to save mother Ghana the millions of Ghana Cedis we risk losing,” parts of his petition read.

The Special Prosecutor after detailed investigations revealed in a statement that “Mr. Abdul-Rahman, Mr. Engmen, Mr. Seidu, and Mr. Kuundaari 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 increasing the approved procurement total contract sum of Five Million Seven Hundred and Twenty Thousand cedis (GH¢5,720,000.00) by an amount of Four Million Six Hundred and Eighty Thousand cedis (GH¢4,680,000.00) to an amount of Ten Million Four Hundred Thousand cedis (GH¢10,400,000.00) without lawful authority.

“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 invoices totalling GHC8,328,840 and exceeding the approved procurement total contract sum of GH¢5,720,000 by an amount of GH¢2,608,840 with a further outstanding amount of GH¢2,071,160.00, without lawful authority.”