Four former Northern Development Authority officials convicted over procurement corruption
A High Court in Tamale has convicted three former executives of the Northern Development Authority (NDA) and a private businessman of seven counts of corruption and corruption-related offences involving procurement contracts under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP).
The High Court in Tamale has sentenced four former officials from the Northern Development Authority (NDA) and a private businessman to seven counts of corruption, according to prosecutors. The convicted individuals include former NDA Chief Executive Sumaila Abdul-Rahman, former Deputy Chief Executive Stephen Yir-Eru Engmen, former Deputy Chief Executive Patrick Seidu, and Andrew Kuundaari, who is the Chief Executive of A&QS Consortium Limited.
The alleged corruption involved conspiracy to influence procurement processes, directly or indirectly, to secure unfair advantages in contracts awarded under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme. The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) stated that the convictions followed an investigation prompted by a complaint from legal practitioner Martin Kpebu.
Despite the convictions, the court decided not to impose jail time, citing the defendants' advanced ages and the OSP's early intervention to prevent financial losses to the Republic. Instead, the court imposed a penalty of 1,000 penalty units for each of the seven counts. The OSP emphasized its dedication to safeguarding public funds and holding both public officials and their private sector collaborators accountable for corruption-related offenses.
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