OSP calls PPA CEO probe a ‘foolish case’, Azure says

Freelance investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni warned on Friday, December six that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is turning the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) CEO scandal into a “foolish case.”

Speaking on the Joy Super Morning Show, Awuni said the delays and procedural glitches surrounding the probe undermine its effectiveness. “I cannot give you timelines when this investigation will be done, and if it is done, you will know. The way this is being handled, eventually it is becoming a foolish case,” he asserted.

The journalist added that key witnesses, including himself, are reluctant to testify again after encountering what he described as “procedural frustrations,” a development that could jeopardise the case’s outcome.

Awuni’s remarks follow a series of tweets in which he criticised the OSP for mishandling evidence. The court admitted the 2019 documentary *Contracts for Sale* as evidence, yet the pendrive the OSP submitted reportedly did not contain the film – an error the office has since acknowledged.

“If they have to start the case all over, it will depend on whether I will be prepared to go and testify again, and whether the charged person who has been cross‑examined already would want to start again. There are so many implications for this case,” Awuni said, highlighting the legal complications.

The documentary exposed former PPA chief executive A.B. Adjei for allegedly selling government contracts he secured through his own firm, Talent Discovery Limited, which was incorporated in June 2017. The film showed the company ready to sell a contract worth GH₵22.3 million to a non‑existent entity.

Former President Nana Akufo‑Addo suspended Adjei on August twenty‑second after the allegations of corruption and conflict of interest surfaced.

Awuni clarified that his criticism targets the administrative and procedural handling of the case, not the judiciary. “It is not because the courts have frustrated it,” he explained, emphasizing that the obstacles stem from the OSP’s management of the investigation.

The next steps remain uncertain as the OSP works to rectify the evidentiary error and secure fresh testimonies. Observers note that the outcome of this high‑profile probe could have lasting implications for procurement governance and anti‑corruption efforts in Ghana.

Image Source: MYJOYONLINE