The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has "suspended from office, with immediate effect, the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Mr. A.B Adjei".
This follows the broadcast of allegations made against him in an investigative documentary conducted by Manasseh Azure Awuni, titled “Contracts for Sale”.
A statement signed by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, said "President Akufo-Addo has, subsequently, referred the allegations involving conflict of interest to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and those relating to potential acts of corruption to the Office of Special Prosecutor, for their prompt action.
"The President has also notified the Chairperson of the Board of the PPA to ensure that Mr AB Adjei hands over his office expeditiously to Mr. Frank Mante, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the PPA," the statement added.
BACKGROUND
Investigations by freelance investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, revealed that Talent Discovery Limited, a company incorporated in June 2017, has won a number of government contracts through restrictive tendering.
Manasseh Azure Awuni has also confirmed that the company was engaged in selling contracts. Undercover encounters with the General Manager of the Company, Thomas Amoah, revealed that the company was selling a ¢22.3 million road contract to K-Drah Enterprise, a fake company Manasseh used for the investigation.
This contract was awarded to B-Molie Limited, a company Mr Amoah said was a sister company of TDL.
The company also had for sale a Ministries of Works and Housing contract to construct a concrete drain in Santa Maria in Accra as well as a contract to build a one-story dormitory block in the Asante Akim North District.
After demanding and taking a registration fee of ¢5000 and deposit from Manasseh’s undercover agent, the General Manager of the TDL, who is also the one who signs the contracts on behalf of the company handed over three contracts, when K-Drah Enterprise promised to come on a particular Thursday and pay for one of the projects.
The Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have confirmed that the contracts being sold by Talent Discovery Limited are authentic contracts that have been awarded to the company. The company has had contracts with the Ghana Water Company (GWCL), Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod), Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GHPHA).
It also has contracts with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Works and Housing, and four contracts with the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives to construct dams under the government’s One Village One Dam Project. At the time of filing this report, Talent Discovery Limited has been shortlisted for restrictive tendering by the Bank of Ghana for the supply and installation of air purifiers. The company has also been shortlisted by the Roads and Highways Ministry for three road contracts and the evaluation is currently ongoing.
The PPA Board has confirmed that TDL was shortlisted by the Ministry of Inner Cities and Zongo Development for a contract in 2018. The board also confirmed TDL was brought to the PPA on 14 occasions for restrictive tendering approvals.
Such contracts are approved by the PPA, of which Adjenim Boateng Adjei (AB Adjei) is the CEO.
The General Manager of TDL said the company had links “at the top” so Manasseh Azure Awuni went digging into those behind the company. A search at the Registrar General’s Department revealed that the two directors of the company are Adjenim Adjei and Francis Arhin.
Of the two directors and shareholders of TDL, one of them pointed to the CEO of the PPA, Adjenim Boateng Adjei. The unique spellings of his “Adjenim” and Adjei are the same as those contained in the registration document.
But his official name, as found in documents he signs, is not Adjenim Adjei. He is Adjenim Boateng Adjei, but he uses AB Adjei in official documents, including approval letters at the PPA.
But there are more clues. Two of the companies of the TDL Group, Frosty Ice Natural Mineral Water and ABM Logistics Ghana Limited have two shareholders and directors namely Mercy Adjei and Adjenim Adjei. The Tax Identification Number (TIN) of the Adjenim Adjei used to register the Talent Discovery Group is the same Tax Identification Number used by the Adjenim Adjei in the companies he jointly owns with Mercy Adjei.
The address of Frosty Ice, a member of the TDL Group, is a street in Airport Hills, and that is where the PPA boss, Adjenim Boateng Adjei lives. My investigation also revealed that the wife of the PPA CEO is called Mercy Adjei, so it was highly probable that the Adjenim Adjei of the TDL Group was the same as the Adjenim Boateng Adjei of the Public Procurement Authority.
Source: Peacefmonline.com/GHANA
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |