The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has established that the suspended Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) Adjenim Boateng Adjei was involved in a conflict of interest situation as CEO of the PPA and a shareholder/co-owner of the Talent Discovery Limited(TDL), a company that won contracts from the PPA.
It has therefore recommended that the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, sack him. The commission also notes that he is not qualified to hold any public office for the next five years.
Last year investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni in a documentary titled Contracts for Sale, uncovered shady deals involving TDL, a company partly owned by the PPA boss. The company, it was unearthed, won contracts from the PPA and then sold them to the highest bidder.
After the airing of the documentary, Mr Adjenim Boateng Adjei was swiftly suspended by the President and the matter referred to CHRAJ and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
More than a year afterwards, the findings and recommendations of CHRAJ have been made public.
Portions of the key findings read: “The evidence supports the allegation that TDL participated in a number of restricted tenders, which applications came before the Respondent in his capacity as CEO of PPA and member of the Board of PPA for approval.
TDL was awarded 10 contracts through restricted tender between June 2017 and 22 August 2019. However, the evidence did not support the allegation of award of contracts through sole sourcing.
The Respondent participated in the decision-making process on restricted tender applications that had TDL shortlisted without disclosing his private capacity (financial and relational) interest in the company or recusing himself, except on one occasion, in violation of the Board’s resolution on the matter and Article 284 of the Constitution.”
The findings and recommendations come a day after Manasseh Azure Awuni revealed that the commission was yet to conclude on the scandal more than a year after the matter was referred to it. Meanwhile the OSP is yet to make its findings on the matter public.
