Adom-Otchere Bares All on How Elites, NPP and Even NDC Bailed Him Out’.
The fight against corruption in Ghana is hanging by a thread, and the reason is not a new law or a change in government. It’s because the country’s most prominent figures—chiefs, pastors, and politicians—are allegedly using their influence to undermine the very institutions meant to fight it.
This was on full display last week when the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) detained former Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) board chairman, Paul Adom-Otchere.
Sources close to the OSP reveal a chaotic scene behind the walls of the Office on Thursday, July 31. The broadcaster, who was invited as a suspect in a revenue assurance contract investigation, was charged with corruption-related offenses, conflict of interest, and a breach of the Public Procurement Act.
He was granted bail but failed to meet the conditions, which included presenting two landed properties in his name, forcing him to spend the night in cells.
What followed was a spectacle of extraordinary proportions.
The OSP, an office designed to be a bastion against corruption, became a pressure cooker of calls from Ghana’s elite.
According to sources, prominent chiefs, pastors, business moguls, and even women from Makola market were allegedly burning up phone lines, demanding Adom-Otchere’s immediate release.
The pressure seemingly worked. By Friday, August 1, the bail conditions were reportedly varied, and his employer, Joseph Siaw Agyapong, Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, stepped in to offer his properties, securing the broadcaster’s freedom.
A Flood of ‘Thank You’s’ Exposes a Network of Influence.
After his release, Adom-Otchere did not shy away from revealing the powerful hands that allegedly helped him. In a series of videos, he thanked a wide array of individuals and groups, inadvertently exposing a network of influence that many fear is actively hindering the anti-corruption fight.
Topping his list was a sincere thank you to the Manhyia Palace, which he claimed put pressure on the system.
“Senior officials of Manhyia Palace, who put pressure on the system insisting that please release Paul Adom-Otchere. We cannot thank you enough. I am coming to Kumasi and I will thank you properly,” he said.
This revelation, while not directly implicating the Asantehene, Otumfuor Osei Tutu II, has reignited accusations that the revered palace often intervenes on behalf of influential figures. He also thanked other chiefs from Akwamuhene, Jachi, and Ejisuhene.
The list of “thank yous” continued with influential men of God, including his own pastor, Pastor Mensa Otabil of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), who he claimed was “worried” about his detention.
He also mentioned other preachers such as Bernard El Bernard, Prophet Opoku Sarkodie, and Rev. Eric Kwapong.
The NDC, NPP, and Makola Women Also Allegedly Played a Part.
In a surprising twist, Adom-Otchere claimed that members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) also called to express concern.
He claimed they felt the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, was targeting him for his criticisms. He specifically thanked close friend Kwame Awuah Darko for his alleged willingness to present his properties for bail.
The list of saviors also included top members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), such as former President Akufo-Addo, former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife Samira.
He also thanked the party’s General Secretary, Justice Kodua, National Organizer Henry Nana Boakye (who he claimed called 21 times), and former National Petroleum Authority boss Mustapha Hamid.
He even thanked the minority leader, Alex Afenyo-Markin, for coaching him on what to do.
Adding to the long list were his mother’s colleagues—the Makola women, who he said visited his mother to offer support.
Private legal practitioner and social commentator Osagyefo Oliver Barker-Vormawor took to social media to express his frustration. After watching the videos, he asserted, “I have watched this video several times. I think that everyone who is interested in anti-corruption should watch this a thousand times… And you will understand what needs to be understood. Shalom.”
Many on his page echoed the sentiment, fearing that if the fight against corruption continues to be impeded by influential members of society, the country is on a doomed path.
The investigation into Adom-Otchere stems from a contract between GACL and Evatex Logistic Limited, a subsidiary of Strategic Mobilization Limited (SML), which is already being probed by the OSP.
The New Republic is following a trail which to reveal an even more disturbing roles played by OSP itself in their investigations
According to the Managing Director of GACL, Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, the contract did not follow standard procedure, raising questions about Adom-Otchere’s alleged role and leading to his invitation and subsequent charging by the OSP.
Adom-Otchere, for his part, has promised to reveal everything that transpired on his show, Good Evening Ghana.