The Office of the Special Prosecutor has initiated a formal investigation into suspected public procurement breaches at the Ministry of Infrastructure according to a 3News report. The investigation focuses on a contract valued at fifty million Ghana cedis which was awarded earlier this month. Authorities indicate that three senior officials have been summoned to appear before investigators to assist in the ongoing inquiry into the award process.
A Citi Newsroom report notes that the Office of the Special Prosecutor has requested specific documents related to the tendering and evaluation phases of the project. The identities of the three officials have not been officially released to the public while the investigation remains in its early stages. The OSP has not yet issued a formal press statement on social media or its website regarding specific charges or the exact nature of the suspected irregularities.
According to the original report from 3News the officials are expected to provide explanations regarding the criteria used for selecting the winning contractor. The Office of the Special Prosecutor is empowered under the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act to investigate and prosecute cases of alleged corruption and corruption related offences involving high ranking public officers and private sector individuals. No arrests have been made at this time according to current media monitoring.
Legal representatives for the ministry have not yet issued a formal rebuttal to the allegations. A Graphic Online report suggests that the probe follows a petition submitted to the anti corruption body regarding the transparency of the infrastructure project. The officials involved are currently treated with the presumption of innocence while they cooperate with the state investigators as reported by various local news outlets including Pulse Ghana.