Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has identified former Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) board chairman Paul Adom-Otchere as a key suspect in an ongoing corruption investigation involving alleged procurement breaches tied to a revenue assurance contract.
According to Sammy Darko Appiah, Director of Strategy, Research and Communication at the OSP, Mr. Adom-Otchere was not invited as a mere person of interest, but as a central figure in the probe. “He is a key suspect,” Mr. Darko said Friday in an interview on TV3’s New Day program. “The letter sent to him made that clear.”
Mr. Adom-Otchere reported to the OSP headquarters in Accra on Thursday, July 31 at 3 p.m. and was subsequently detained after failing to meet the bail conditions imposed following his formal charge. Among the requirements: the provision of two landed properties registered in his name—assets Mr. Adom-Otchere claims he does not possess in Ghana, prompting his continued detention.
The investigation centers on a revenue assurance agreement signed between GACL and a private firm linked to the owner of Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML). The OSP is scrutinizing whether the contract was unlawfully sole-sourced and if it was awarded to an entity not approved by the GACL board, raising red flags over procurement practices.
“The OSP has uncovered evidence suggesting certain decisions taken by Mr. Adom-Otchere, while serving as board chairman, directly align with offenses we are empowered to investigate,” Mr. Darko stated.
Alongside Mr. Adom-Otchere, two other individuals have also been charged: Otchere Kwame Baffour Awuah, Group Executive of Commercial Services at GACL, and Albert Adjetey Adjei-Laryea, Chief Executive Officer of Devnest Systems.
While the OSP has not disclosed the full scope of its findings, the case marks one of the highest-profile probes launched by the anti-corruption office in recent months. Mr. Adom-Otchere, a former journalist and public figure, has denied any wrongdoing and maintains that the investigation is politically motivated.
The investigation comes amid broader concerns about transparency in public procurement and the role of politically connected individuals in government-linked contracts.
