All set for full trial of former PPA boss on November 29

A High Court in Accra has set Tuesday, November 29, 2022 to commence the full trial of the former Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Adjenim Boateng Adjei, and his brother-in-law Francis Kwaku Arhin. This date was announced on Thursday, October 13 when the two accused persons and the plaintiffs, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), appeared in court. “Today in Court: The Republic V. Adjenim Boateng Adjei & Another (PPA case). Court fixes 29 November 2022 for trial,” the OSP disclosed in a tweet shared on October 13. The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, charged the former Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority in May 2022. The charges, according to a statement signed by the Special Prosecutor, are in relation to his role in the “Contracts for Sale” scandal uncovered in an investigative piece by Manasseh Azure Awuni. According to the statement, a brother-in-law of Adjenim Adjei, Francis Kwaku Arhin, is also facing one count for his role in the scandal. The charges pressed against the two include “using public office for profit, contrary to section 179C(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and “Directly and indirectly influencing the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage in the award of a procurement contract, contrary to section 92(2)(b) of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663). The case against the two was filed at the Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. This is the first case investigated and prosecuted by Kissi Agyabeng following his appointment as Special Prosecutor in 2021. View the tweet by the OSP below:

Today in Court: The Republic V. Adjenim Boateng Adjei & Another (PPA case). Court fixes 29 November 2022 for trial.— Office of the Special Prosecutor-Ghana (@ospghana) October 13, 2022 Watch the latest episode of The Lowdown below: IB/DO