Former NDA Boss, Three Others Convicted Over Procurement Corruption

The High Court in Tamale has convicted a former Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Development Authority (NDA), Sumaila Abdul-Rahman, and three others on seven counts of corruption and corruption-related offences involving procurement contracts under the government’s Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP).

The conviction, secured by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on Friday, October 23, 2026, followed investigations into alleged procurement irregularities at the NDA.

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

According to a statement published on the OSP’s official Facebook page, the four were convicted on seven of the 11 counts brought against them.

The offences included conspiracy to directly or indirectly influence a procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage in the award of a contract, influencing a procurement process to secure an unfair advantage, corruption by a public officer and corruption of a public officer.

Court Declines Custodial Sentences

Despite the convictions, the High Court declined to impose custodial sentences on the four individuals.

According to the OSP, the court considered the advanced ages of the convicts and the fact that its intervention had prevented unlawful payments under the contracts.

The court consequently determined that the Republic had suffered no financial loss arising from the transactions.

Instead of imprisonment, the court imposed a penalty of 1,000 penalty units for each count.

The OSP’s statement did not specify the total financial penalty imposed on each convict.

How Investigations Began

The prosecution followed a complaint lodged by private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu, which prompted investigations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

The investigations centred on procurement contracts awarded by the Northern Development Authority under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme, a government initiative intended to support infrastructure development and poverty reduction.

Following its investigations, the OSP instituted criminal proceedings against the four individuals over their respective roles in the procurement transactions.

The court’s decision represents a successful prosecution by the OSP, although the four accused persons were convicted on seven of the 11 counts brought against them.

The statement did not provide details of the court’s findings on the remaining four counts.

OSP Reaffirms Commitment

Reacting to the judgment, the Office of the Special Prosecutor reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding public resources and pursuing corruption-related offences involving public officials and private sector actors.

The anti-corruption agency said it remained committed to protecting the public purse and ensuring accountability among public officials and their collaborators in the private sector.

The convictions underscore the potential criminal consequences of manipulating public procurement processes, even where timely intervention prevents financial losses to the state.

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