The Criminal High Court in Tamale has concluded the cross-examination of all four accused in the ongoing trial over alleged procurement irregularities at the Northern Development Authority (NDA).
The accused — Sumaila Abdul Rahman, former CEO of the NDA; Stephen Yir-Eru Engmen, former Deputy CEO (Operations); Patrick Seidu, former Deputy CEO (Finance and Administration); and Andrew Kuundaari, CEO of ASQS Consortium Limited — are standing trial for allegedly manipulating procurement processes to gain an unfair advantage in the award of contracts under the government’s infrastructure development programme.
During Thursday’s proceedings, the defence team noted that subpoenas had been issued to staff of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) and the NDA to appear in court and provide testimony. The case has been adjourned to 25–26 November 2025 for continuation.
Ahead of the trial, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) blocked payment on what it described as an inflated contract and directed the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to suspend disbursements pending the outcome of the case.
The OSP alleges that the accused colluded to manipulate the procurement process in favour of ASQS Consortium Limited, resulting in financial losses to the state.
