A High Court in Tamale has convicted four people, including three former senior officials of the Northern Development Authority (NDA), on seven counts of corruption and corruption-related offences involving procurement contracts under the government’s Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP).
The convicts are former NDA Chief Executive Officer, Sumaila Abdul-Rahman; former Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Operations, Stephen Yir-Eru Engmen; former Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Finance and Administration, Patrick Seidu; and Andrew Kuundaari, Chief Executive Officer of private company A&QS Consortium Limited.
In a statement, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) said the four were convicted on Friday, October 23, 2026, on seven of the 11 counts brought against them.
The court dismissed the corruption-related charges but upheld those relating to breaches of procurement laws.
The offences for which they were convicted include conspiracy to influence the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage in the award of contracts, directly or indirectly influencing procurement processes for an unfair advantage, corruption by a public officer, and corruption of a public officer.
Court Imposes Financial Penalties
Despite the convictions, the court declined to impose custodial sentences, citing the advanced ages of the convicts and the OSP’s timely intervention, which prevented unlawful payments under the contracts.
The court also took into consideration that the alleged procurement violations had not resulted in any financial loss to the state.
Instead, it imposed a penalty of 1,000 penalty units for each count.
Case Followed OSP Investigation
The prosecution was initiated and conducted by the OSP following investigations into a complaint lodged by legal practitioner Martin Kpebu.
The case centred on procurement contracts under IPEP, a government programme designed to support infrastructure development and poverty reduction.
The OSP reiterated its commitment to safeguarding public funds and ensuring accountability among public officials and private.
By Gifty Boateng