OSP Takes Up Northern Development Authority ₵10M Contract Saga

Hajara FuseiniJuly 26, 2022

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The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) says it has commenced investigations into the alleged GHc 10 million forgery saga saddled with the Northern Development Authority (NDA) in the award of a contract to A&Q’s Consortium (A&Q’s) in 2020.

The OSP says it is investigating suspected corruption and corruption-related offences.

In line with the investigation, the OSP says the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng directed the Controller and Accountant General Department to freeze payments arising from the contract on July 1, 2022.

Additionally, the Coordinator of Special Initiative at the Jubilee House, several other serving officers including the CEO, past officers of the NDA, and officers from A&Q’s Consortium were invited by Mr Agyebeng for questioning.

The OSP says all persons deemed culpable will be charged and arraigned before a court at the end of the investigations.

Background
A letter dated January 27, 2022, from the former Acting NDA CEO, Alhassan Sulemana to the Chief of Staff at the Presidency said his signature had been forged in the award of a contract to A&Q’s Consortium (A&Q’s) in the sum of ¢10,400,000 under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP),

The forgery, he said, was done while he was in office.

He noted in the letter that the only contract he signed with the consortium in question was on January 28, 2020, and at a sum of GHc5, 720,000 after the Public Procurement Authority gave the approval to use sole sourcing to recruit A&Q’s Consortium for the purpose of the IPEP.

He added, “even though the award letter I signed has an amount of GHc5, 720,000, I have sighted a doctored version of the award letter which indicates I purportedly signed Consultancy Supervision Contract with A&Q’s Consortium under the IPEP at a cost of ten million four hundred thousand (10,400,000) cedis.”