The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has referred former Director of Procurement at the Ministry of Defence, Frank Oliver Kpodo, to the Attorney-General for prosecution over the alleged procurement of six vehicles valued at GH¢4.8 million.
The decision follows intense scrutiny by the Committee during its sitting on Tuesday, March 31, over what members described as irregularities in the transaction.
The case stems from findings by the Auditor-General, which disallowed store receipt vouchers worth GH¢4.8 million during a special audit of government commitments and payables.
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According to the audit report, the vehicles in question were never supplied, raising red flags over the legitimacy of the procurement process.
During proceedings, Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, called for the immediate interdiction of Mr. Kpodo, accusing him of personalising the transaction and allegedly relying on falsified documents.
“You personalize the transactions, so they became your personal burden… If you can’t tell us where the vehicles are, at least tell us how many there were,” he stated.
He insisted: “For me, my demand is that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources should interdict this man. He should be interdicted.”
Mr. Kpodo who now serves as a procurement officer at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources explained that the vehicles had initially been delivered.
However, he claimed they were later taken away due to concerns by the supplier that payment might not be effected because of the change of government after the 2024 general elections.
“The vehicles had initially been delivered but were later removed due to concerns about payment,” he told the Committee members.
He added that he subsequently advised management to extend the contract agreement, a claim that failed to convince members of the Committee.
Following the exchanges, the Ranking Member of the Committee, Samuel Atta-Mills, directed that the matter be referred to the Attorney-General for further action.
The referral paves the way for possible criminal prosecution as authorities seek to unravel the circumstances surrounding the controversial GH¢4.8 million transaction.
The development adds to increasing parliamentary oversight of public procurement processes, especially in relation to election-related spending and government commitments.