The High Court in Tamale has convicted four persons, including former Northern Development Authority (NDA) Chief Executive Sumaila Abdul-Rahman and his two deputies, on procurement-related offences following a prosecution by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). The court, however, declined to impose custodial sentences, opting instead for fines of 1,000 penalty units on each count.
The convicts are Sumaila Abdul-Rahman, former Chief Executive of the NDA; Stephen Yir-Eru Engmen, former Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Operations; Patrick Seidu, former Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Finance and Administration; and Andrew Kuundaari, Chief Executive of A&QS Consortium Limited, a private company . The court, presided over by Justice Eric Ansah Ankomah, delivered its ruling on Friday, October 23, 2026 .
Convictions on Seven of Eleven Counts
The four were convicted on seven out of eleven counts brought against them by the OSP. The offences included conspiracy to directly or indirectly influence the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage in the award of a contract, directly or indirectly influencing the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage, corruption by a public officer, and corruption of a public officer . The charges related to procurement contracts awarded under the government’s Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) .
The case was initiated following investigations into a complaint lodged by private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu .
Sentencing and Court’s Reasoning
Each convict was fined 1,000 penalty units on every count on which they were found guilty, with the fines imposed on each person to run concurrently. According to reports, the total fine amounts to 7,000 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢84,000 each . In default of payment, each convict faces four years’ imprisonment with hard labour per count, with the sentences to run concurrently .
The court explained that it had considered mitigating factors presented by defence counsel, including that the convicts were first-time offenders, and opted for fines rather than immediate custodial sentences . The court noted that the convicts did not personally profit from their conduct, and that the OSP had intervened swiftly to halt payment, preventing financial loss to the state . It also took into account the advanced age of two of the convicts, identified in court records as A1 and A4 .
Under the terms of the ruling, A1 (Abdul-Rahman) was fined on counts one and two; A2 (Engmen) on counts one, four, five, and six; A3 (Seidu) on counts one and eight; and A4 (Kuundaari) on counts one and ten .
Background to the Case
The prosecution centred on procurement irregularities involving a contract that was originally approved by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) for GH¢5.7 million for consultancy supervision in eleven constituencies in the Upper West Region under IPEP. According to earlier reporting, the contract was allegedly altered after the departure of the previous NDA CEO, Dr. Alhassan Anamzoya, with the sum inflated to GH¢10.4 million and a forged signature appended . The OSP prosecuted the case over the GH¢10.4 million contract .
Sumaila Abdul-Rahman was appointed to lead the NDA by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in July 2021 .
OSP Reaffirms Commitment
Reacting to the judgment, the Office of the Special Prosecutor reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding public resources and pursuing accountability for public officials and their private-sector collaborators involved in corruption-related offences . The OSP described the outcome as a successful prosecution, though the four accused were convicted on seven of the eleven counts brought against them .
The ruling means the four convicts will serve custodial sentences only if they fail to pay the fines imposed by the court.
