A Tamale High Court has fined former Northern Development Authority (NDA) Chief Executive Sumaila Abdul-Rahman and three others GH¢84,000 each instead of handing them custodial sentences over corruption-related offences.
The court, presided over by Justice Eric Ansah Ankomah, imposed the fines after convicting the four of seven counts of corruption and corruption-related offences linked to procurement contracts under the government’s Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP).
The convicts are Sumaila Abdul-Rahman, former NDA Deputy Chief Executives Stephen Yir-Eru Engmen and Patrick Seidu, and Chief Executive Officer of A&QS Consortium Limited, Andrew Kuundaari.
Each was fined 1,000 penalty units for each of the seven counts, amounting to 7,000 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢84,000. They face four years in prison in default of payment, according to reports on the court’s decision.
The court declined to impose immediate custodial sentences, citing the advanced ages of the convicts and the early intervention by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), which prevented unlawful payments under the contracts.
This came after the defence counsel for the convicts, pleaded for leniency, citing their status as first-time offenders.
The court also noted that no financial loss had been caused to the state.
The prosecution was initiated by the OSP following investigations into a complaint filed by legal practitioner Martin Kpebu.
The case involved procurement contracts awarded under IPEP, a government programme intended to support infrastructure development in communities across the country.
The OSP has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting public funds and holding public officials and private-sector collaborators accountable for corruption and related offences.
