A lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) law school, Justice Srem-Sai has criticised the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo over the suspension of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public Procurement Authority ( PPA), Adjenim Boateng Adjei
For him, by suspending only the CEO and leaving the Board intact, “the President scores two political points. He(1) creates the impression to the average mind that he’s ruthless on corruption; and, at the same time(2) gets to directly assure his friends, supporters or associates once again that he’s got their back.”
The legal practitioner in a Facebook post sighted and critical of the President, states that the power to discipline the Board of PPA resides in the President and he has failed to act. “The President knows everything I’ve said above. He knows, too, that the power to discipline the PPA board resides in him. So, when the PPA fails to achieve its primary purpose (a claim which is now beyond sensible debate), the President knows exactly what to do. However, he decides ( after convincing himself that there’s a failure at the PPA) to leave the board intact.”
The PPA CEO has been suspended over an investigative documentary by Manasseh Azure Awuni that uncovered that the CEO has a company that wins government contracts and then sells than to the highest bidder.
After his suspension, there are growing calls by civil society organisations for the Board of the PPA to resign. But the Board has indicated that they are do “not influence tender processes conducted in accordance with Act 663”, effectively seeking to absolve themselves of any blame.
