Why I Declined OSP Testimony Again in the PPA CEO Case
The Office of the Special Prosecutor’s handling of the former Public Procurement Authority chief’s corruption case has come under fire after the key witness says charges have been repeatedly dropped and re‑filed without new evidence.
On 8 October 2025 the OSP notified the witness – the journalist behind the 2019 investigative documentary “Contracts for Sale” – that he must appear on 20 October 2025 as a prosecution witness in the case against former PPA CEO Adjenim Boateng Adjei. The witness had already testified from December 2022 to April 2024, only for the OSP to withdraw all 17 charges against Adjei and one against his brother‑in‑law, Francis Arhin.
In May 2024 the OSP filed eight “fresh” charges, all mirroring the earlier accusations but omitting the brother‑in‑law. Four charges alleged misuse of public office for private gain; the other four concerned “indirectly influencing a procurement process.” The witness says the new charge sheet contains no new offences – the strongest charge of direct influence was even dropped, making the second case weaker than the first.
When the witness demanded answers, the Director of Prosecution could not explain why Count 18 – the direct‑influence charge supported by the CHRAJ report – was removed. He referred the journalist to the case lawyer, claiming a fresh investigation had uncovered additional financial recoveries, yet admitted he had no docket in hand and could not quantify the new money.
The attending lawyer confirmed that, apart from a few bankers authenticating transactions, no fresh funds were located in Adjei’s accounts. She also said she had not seen the three boxes of source documents the CHRAJ said it had handed over to the OSP.
Frustrated, the witness told Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng on 27 October 2025 that he intended to withdraw as a witness. Agyebeng promised a response within two weeks but later admitted he still lacked answers and would order another investigation – a move that could lead to a third filing of essentially the same case.
Critics point out that the OSP never conducted its own criminal investigation before going to court, relying heavily on the journalist’s documentary and the CHRAJ report. Moreover, the court admitted the documentary as evidence, but the OSP’s own pen‑drive submitted to the bench omitted the full film, an error the office blamed on “administrative oversight.”
Financially, the OSP froze Adjei’s accounts after uncovering cash payments of GH₵ 4.5 million, GH₵ 14.8 million and GH₵ 54 thousand that far exceeded his legitimate salary. The freeze expired in 2023, allowing Adjei to withdraw the funds. Subsequent charges never addressed money‑laundering, and the lawyer said the OSP “did not know what the money was used for.”
On 2 December 2025 OSP Director of Strategy Samuel Appiah Darko publicly claimed the trial only began after the journalist’s work, a statement the witness says is false – the trial started in 2022 and he had already been cross‑examined.
With the Special Prosecutor’s tenure set to end in 2032 and no clear timeline for a definitive resolution, the witness warns that the case has become a “waste of the nation’s resources,” urging the OSP to move beyond “special excuses” and either bring the matter to a conclusive end or formally discontinue it.
Image Source: MYJOYONLINE
