The former Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Adjenim Boateng Adjei and his brother-in-law, Francis Kwaku Arhin have been granted bail to a tune of ₵5 million each.
The Criminal Division of the Accra High Court demanded that they present two justified sureties.
The duo pleaded not guilty to all counts of charges levelled against them by the Special Prosecutor.
Counsel for the former PPA Boss, Kwame Acheampong Boateng in an interview with JoyNews’ Samuel Mbura after the proceedings indicated that his clients have declared their innocence since they were accused.
He further expressed optimism that the trial will give them the opportunity to prove their case although there are already perceptions on the case.
But the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyabeng said he has a firm conviction that there are enough evidence to proceed with the case in the interest of the public.
Last week, the Office of the Special Prosecutor levelled fresh charges on the former PPA boss.
The OSP has charged him with eight counts of using public office for profit and nine counts of directly and indirectly influencing the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage in the award of a procurement contract.
A statement issued by the Office of the Special Prosecutor to announce these charges noted that the brother-in-law of Adjenim Boateng, Francis Kwaku Arhin has also been charged with one count of using public office for profit.
The statement added that “the two persons will be arraigned before the High Court (Criminal Division), Accra on Wednesday, 25 May, 2022.”
Meanwhile, new information emerging indicates that the dismissed Public Procurement Authority (PPA) boss has allegedly withdrawn all funds from his frozen bank accounts.
This flies in the face of a court order not to release cash from the account to Mr. Adjenim Boateng Adjei.
Investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, whose investigative piece exposed Mr. Adjei’s underhand dealings, told JoyNews that he has received information about this new development.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Midday News on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, Mr Awuni explained that the accounts which were frozen during the investigation by the then Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, were for a period upon which it needed the court’s justification.
“When Martin Amidu froze the accounts, it was for a period, and he had to go back to the court to justify why the accounts should remain frozen. In the process, he resigned and left, and it took some time for his successor to take office,” he said.
Mr. Awuni noted that during the period when the new Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, had to take over, the dismissed PPA boss went through his lawyers to get a court to lift the freezing order and withdraw all monies from his frozen accounts.
According to him, the dismissed PPA boss currently has no pesewa in those accounts, which were frozen when they contained about ¢41.5 million.
“In the intervening period, we are told A.B. Adjei went through his lawyers and got the court to lift his frozen order; after that, even before Kissi Agyebeng took office, he took away all the funds that were deposited in his account.
“If you look at the statement Martin Amidu released on the work he had done with the Auditor General, his accounts had huge deposits totalling about ¢41.5 million within the two and half years he was in office. The information we are getting is that not a pesewa is left in those accounts,” he added.
source: My Joy Online
