The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has detained Paul Adom-Otchere, the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), in connection with an ongoing investigation into a revenue assurance contract that authorities allege may have breached procurement protocols.
According to a statement released by the OSP on Wednesday, Mr. Adom-Otchere was formally charged after being interviewed by investigators. He was subsequently granted bail but remains in custody after failing to meet the conditions of his release.
“He is required to present two landed properties (of no specific value) registered in his name. However, he has informed the OSP that he does not own landed property in Ghana,” the agency said in a social media post. “As a result, he remains in custody until the bail terms are satisfied.”
Two other individuals—Otchere Kwame Baffour Awuah, Group Executive of Commercial Services at GACL, and Albert Adjetey Adjei-Laryea, CEO of Devnest Systems—have also been charged in connection with the case.
The Special Prosecutor’s investigation centers on a revenue assurance contract between GACL and a private company linked to the owner of Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML). Authorities are reviewing possible procurement violations, including whether a contract was improperly awarded on a sole-source basis to a firm other than the one approved by the GACL board.
Mr. Adom-Otchere confirmed his involvement in the inquiry last week on his current affairs television program, Good Evening Ghana. He acknowledged receiving an invitation from the OSP and said he intended to cooperate fully. “My lawyers and I will present ourselves to the OSP today, Thursday, July 31 at 3 p.m. for questioning,” he said during the broadcast.
However, he accused the Special Prosecutor of denying a request by his legal team to delay the appearance. “OSP rejected my lawyer’s request to appear with me on Monday, August 4th instead of Thursday, July 31st,” he claimed.
Mr. Adom-Otchere has denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he was unaware the Managing Director of GACL had executed the contract until investigative journalist Manasseh Azure contacted him about it earlier this month. “The time the Board was briefed on the contract was in November 2024, and I resigned in January 2025,” he said.
The case marks the latest high-profile probe undertaken by the OSP as it ramps up enforcement of Ghana’s anti-corruption laws ahead of the 2025 elections.
