Tamale High Court convicts former NDA CEO, three others over IPEP procurement offences

A High Court in Tamale has convicted the former Chief Executive of the Northern Development Authority (NDA), Sumaila Abdul-Rahman, and three others over irregularities in procurement contracts under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP).

According to a statement from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), the court, presided over by Justice Eric Ansah Ankomah, delivered its judgment on Friday, 23 October 2026.

The other convicts are former Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Operations, Stephen Yir-Eru Engmen; former Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Finance and Administration, Patrick Seidu; and Andrew Kuundaari, Chief Executive of A&QS Consortium Limited.

The four were found guilty on seven of the 11 counts brought by the OSP. The offences include conspiracy to influence the procurement process to gain an unfair advantage, directly or indirectly influencing the process for the same purpose, and corruption-related offences involving a public officer.

The court declined to impose custodial sentences. It cited the advanced age of the convicts and the swift intervention of the OSP, which prevented unlawful payments under the contracts and meant the state suffered no financial loss.

Each convict was fined 1,000 penalty units on each count, with a four-year jail term in default of payment. Graphic Online reported the fines at GH¢84,000 each.

The case stems from an OSP investigation that found the approved consultancy contract sum of GH¢5.72 million had been raised to GH¢10.4 million without lawful authority. The prosecution began after a complaint from legal practitioner Martin Kpebu.

Defence counsel Sylvester Isang described the non-custodial sentences as favourable to his clients. He noted that the OSP could appeal if it was dissatisfied, and said the defence would respond to any appeal.

The conviction comes while the OSP’s independent prosecutorial mandate is being challenged in court.