The former Board Chairman of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Paul Adom-Otchere, is currently in custody after failing to meet bail conditions imposed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). He has been formally charged in connection with alleged procurement breaches involving a controversial revenue assurance contract.
Mr. Adom-Otchere, along with two other senior executives Otchere Kwame Baffour Awuah, Group Executive for Commercial Services at GACL, and Albert Adjetey Adjei-Laryea, CEO of Devnest Systems was detained by the OSP following a formal interview and charges filed on Wednesday, sources close to the OSP has told The High Street Journal.
The investigation centers on a revenue assurance contract between GACL and a private firm linked to the proprietor of Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML). According to sources close to the OSP, the contract may have bypassed standard procurement procedures, including sole-sourcing irregularities and deviation from board-approved decisions.
“The Office of the Special Prosecutor is investigating possible breaches of the Public Procurement Act, including the award of a sole-sourced contract to an entity not sanctioned by the GACL Board,” an OSP source disclosed under condition of anonymity.
Bail Hurdles: No Landed Property
Mr. Adom-Otchere has been granted bail but remains in detention due to his inability to satisfy the terms, which include presenting two landed properties registered in his name. He has reportedly informed the OSP that he does not own any such properties in Ghana, raising questions about his ability to secure release in the near term.
Legal observers note that while bail is not meant to be punitive, conditions set by investigators can reflect the gravity of the charges and the need to ensure cooperation with ongoing probes.
The other two accused individuals Baffour Awuah and Adjei-Laryea are believed to have met their bail conditions and have been released pending further investigations.
Strategic Contract Under Scrutiny
At the heart of the probe is a contract reportedly issued without competitive tendering to a firm affiliated with the same individuals behind SML Ghana, the company embroiled in a separate revenue assurance controversy involving the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Ministry of Finance.
The OSP is examining whether the GACL deal followed appropriate legal and governance protocols and whether the Board’s approval processes were violated in the award of the contract. Sources indicate that the contract awarded was not the one approved by the full GACL Board.
If wrongdoing is established, the case could trigger significant reputational fallout for GACL, already under scrutiny for its procurement practices in recent years.
Broader Implications
This investigation forms part of the OSP’s intensified crackdown on procurement infractions and abuse of public office. The Office has consistently maintained that revenue assurance contracts and public-private partnerships must adhere to rigorous transparency and accountability standards.
For now, all eyes remain on the next steps of the OSP, as legal proceedings unfold and questions mount about governance standards within state-owned enterprises.
Efforts to reach Paul Adom-Otchere’s legal representatives for comment were unsuccessful as of press time.
