The Office of the Special Prosecutor will on November 29, 2022, call its first witness in the trial of sacked former Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Adjenim Boateng Adjei, and his brother-in-law, Francis Kweku Arhin, who are on trial for using public office for profit.
This follows the successful filing and service of witness statements as well as accompanying exhibits of the two witnesses the office intends to rely on in the trial.
Justice Mary Yanzuh, the presiding judge, after the completion of case management yesterday, adjourned the case to November 29, 2022, for the prosecution to call its first witness.
Adjenim Boateng and Francis Kweku Arhin have been dragged before the court by the Office of the Special Prosecutor over 18 charges of using public office for private profit and benefit, by improperly and unlawfully influencing the outcome of the public procurement process.
The charges for which Mr Adjei is in court relate to several restricted tenders in respect of public works contracts awarded by the Ministry of Works and Housing, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Special Development Initiative, among others.
Francis Kwaku Arhin, though not a public officer, according to court documents, collaborated with A.B. Adjei to corruptly abuse his office for private profit and benefit.
The two pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them and the court granted bail of GH¢5 million each with two sureties to be justified and other conditions.
The facts of the case indicate that Mr Adjei and Mr Arhin established Talent Discovery Limited and used same as their sure bet of winning public contracts in a disingenuous and unlawful design by which the former would employ his position as the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Governing Board of Public Procurement Authority to directly and indirectly improperly influence the outcome of the procurement process in favour of the company.
Mr Arhin was to run the company until the retirement of Adjei from public service, and he will later join the company where they would share the spoils of the contracts sold.
The fact state that Mr Adjei in his capacity as CEO of PPA and a member of the governing board conducted the procurement process in respect of tenders in which Talent Discovery Limited was shortlisted; and he actively participated in the decision-making process leading to the selection of Talent Discovery Limited as the contractor in respect of nine of the tenders, without disclosing his interest as the majority shareholder and a director of the company.
“In an instance, the First Accused (A.B. Adjei) in his capacity as the implementer of the decisions of the Governing Board of Public Procurement Authority, unlawfully altered the decision of the Board in favour of Talent Discovery Limited. The Second Accused (Arhin) acted in collaboration with the First Accused in the unlawful scheme,” the facts added.