The Ghana Institute of Procurement & Supply (GIPS) has instituted disciplinary action against the suspended Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), A.B Adjei.
This follows an exposé by freelance journalist, Manasseh Azuri Awuni, over supposed underhand dealings at the Authority.
The Chief Executive Officer of the PPA, Adjenim Boateng Adjei was implicated in the investigative piece for corruption and conflict of interest.
In a statement, the Institute said Mr. Adjei, who is described as a “senior member” will be sanctioned if found culpable.
“The member shall be afforded the opportunity to appear before the committee, to respond to the allegations levelled against him, relative to our code of conduct and if found guilty of breaching our code of conduct and constitution, be subjected to the applicable sanctions.”
On the expansion of the investigation, the Institute said it believed that “these alleged infractions could not have been perpetrated without the collaboration of other persons in the procurement entities.”
It also called on the Auditor General, the Special Prosecutor and the Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice to probe all contracts issued by Restricted Tendering and Single-source methods.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has since suspended Mr. Adjei and referred the allegations involving a conflict of interest to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice and those relating to potential acts of corruption to the Office of Special Prosecutor “for their prompt action.”
In the exposé, Mr. Boateng was accused of establishing a company known as Talent Discovery Limited, which won some government contracts through restrictive tendering.
The company was however accused of selling the contracts to individuals as revealed by the investigations, which involved meetings recorded with secret cameras.
Before this investigation, Mr. Adjei was well regarded in the procurement space.
When PPA was set up in 2005, he was the first CEO and was reappointed in 2017 when the Akufo-Addo administration came to power.
A number of civil society organisations had called on the government to sack Mr. Adjei.
Find below the full statement
RE: THE CONTRACT FOR SALE DOCUMENTARY
The Ghana Institute of Procurement & Supply (GIPS) has noted with much dismay a video aired on the Joy News Channel of the MultiTV network which involves the CEO of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Mr. Adjenim Boateng Adjei, a senior member of our august institute which suggests acts of conflicts of interests and violations to the Public Procurement Act 2003 (ACT 663), as amended.
Following a meeting of the Governing Council and the Ethics & Professional Standards Committee of the Institute, the disciplinary processes have been activated as per our constitution and code of conduct.
The member shall be afforded the opportunity to appear before the committee, to respond to the allegations levelled against him, relative to our code of conduct and if found guilty of breaching our code of conduct and constitution, be subjected to the applicable sanctions.
We shall in due course update all interested parties of the findings of the process.
Meanwhile, we wish to register our displeasure on matters relating to procurement and the regulation of same, handled by persons versed with power to administer the function. There have been several media reports suggesting various levels of violations of Act 663 as amended. This trend has a devastating effect on the practice of the profession in accordance with global best practices and bastardises the future development of the procurement and supply chain management function.
That aside, we have a large cadre of young professionals and the constant negative reportage of the function has a negative psychological effect of them.
To address this immediate challenge, the institute gratefully requests the Auditor General, the Special Prosecutor and the Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice to extend their investigation to all contracts issued by Restricted Tendering and Single-source methods. We believe that these alleged infractions could not have been perpetuated without the collaboration of other persons in the procurement entities.
As a long term measure, we wish to call on the President, His Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo to, as a matter of expediency, sponsor the passage of an ACT to grant a Charter to the Institute, the formation of a Governing Council which will regulate the conduct of professional procurement practice and the licensure of membership.
We are committed to working with all stakeholders and state agencies to address all the challenges of the profession and its practice, to ensure its sustainability.
Long Live Ghana, Long Live GIPS!!!
THE PRESIDENT.
August 22, 2019.
