Tamale high court orders accused in NDA corruption trial to begin defense

The High Court in Tamale has instructed all four accused individuals implicated in the Northern Development Authority (NDA) corruption trial by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to begin presenting their defense.

The accused include Sumaila Abdul-Rahman, former CEO of the NDA; Stephen Yir-eru Engmen and Patrick Seidu, former Deputy Chief Executives of the NDA; and Andrew Kuundaari, CEO

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The investigation, which began in June 2022, targeted suspected corruption and related offenses at the NDA regarding a contract awarded to A&Q’s Consortium for consultancy services under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme.

Facing 11 charges related to corruption and procurement violations, the accused individuals are compelled to defend themselves as the state has established a prima facie case against them on all counts, according to the presiding judge.

The charges stem from complaints lodged by private legal practitioner Mr. Martin Luther Kpebu, prompting an investigation into NDA operations and the conduct of its Chief Executive and Board Chairman.

The investigation uncovered procurement law violations and corrupt practices by the accused, revealing that Abdul-Rahman, Engmen, Seidu, and Kuundaari manipulated the procurement process to unfairly favor A&QS in contracts for consultants under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP).

Kuundaari's submission of invoices for the inflated contract sum was deemed fraudulent, according to the investigative findings.