The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has referred an allegation of procurement breaches against the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Attorney-General.
CHRAJ wants either of the two institutions to take over the investigations over suspected procurement-related breaches.
It followed a petition, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa sent to CHRAJ over the said procurement breaches and other areas.
On another allegation against Rev Kusi Boateng, a member of the Board on holding two passports under different identities, CHRAJ has concluded that it found no evidence to support the assertion that he had obtained a passport under the name Kusi-Boateng aside the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
Mr Ablakwa initially made the allegations in January 2023 and petitioned CHRAJ to investigate Reverend Kusi Boateng, who is the Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, accusing him of conflict of interest, multiple identities, and alleged criminal conduct.
CHRAJ’s investigation revealed that Reverend Kusi Boateng holds only one passport, issued under the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
On the procurement issues, CHRAJ in its released on Monday, November 25, 2024 cited serious breaches of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663).
It is following this that it has referred the case to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) or the Attorney-General for potential investigation and prosecution.
CHRAJ noted that while it did not find conclusive evidence of corruption, the scale of procurement violations raised a reasonable suspicion of possible corruption.
According to CHRAJ, it uncovered significant irregularities in the procurement process as the National Cathedral Board failed to secure approval from the Central Tender Review Committee, a legal requirement for contracts of this size. Instead, the Board relied solely on its Entity Tender Committee, a violation of Act 663.
The Commission also highlighted the central role of Sir David Adjaye & Associates, the project consultant, in overseeing key procurement activities.
These included managing tenders, evaluating bids, and selecting contractors. CHRAJ noted that the consultant’s influence in these processes contravened procurement rules requiring competitive and transparent tendering.
CHRAJ also declared the contract with Ribade Company Limited invalid from the outset, citing non-compliance with mandatory procurement laws. The Commission directed the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) to cancel the contract immediately.
