He engaged in influence peddling, not crime; OSP closes Adu Boahen case
According to the office, the act of Adu Boahen contained in the Tiger PI documentary amounted to influence peddling, which is not criminally prohibited.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor has directed the closure of a case involving a former Deputy Finance Minister, Charles Adu Boahen.
According to the office, the act of Adu Boahen contained in the Tiger PI documentary amounted to influence peddling, which is not criminally prohibited.
This is contained in the investigative report from the office released today.
The President, Nana Akufo-Addo, relieved Mr. Adu Boahen of his position as Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance in November 2022 on the back of allegations of the commission by Mr. Boahen of suspected corruption and corruption-related offenses.
By a complaint dated November 13, 2022 and received on 15 November 2022 Tiger Eye P.I. requested the OSP to investigate Mr. Adu Boahen for corruption and corruption-related offences arising from the investigative documentary.
The complaint alleged that, through its sting operations, Tiger Eye P.I. audiovisually recorded Mr. Adu Boahen in the act of his commission of corruption and corruption-related offenses. The complaint stated that undercover agents of Tiger Eye P.I., posing as businessmen who were interested in investing in Ghana, met with Mr. Adu Boahen and tabled their investment plans and proposals to him.
The complaint alleged that, sensing an opportunity to cash-in on his position as a Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Adu Boahen demanded twenty per cent (20%) of the value of the proposed initial investment or ten per cent (10%) upfront payment of the value of the proposed initial investment and post-investment sharing of the proceeds of the investment.
The complaint also alleged that Mr. Adu Boahen offered to introduce the undercover agents to the President and the Vice President in aid of establishing them as very influential persons in Ghana.
It was alleged that this offer was premised on Mr. Adu Boahen’s stated close ties to the President – akin to an uncle and a nephew relationship, and his political connections to the Vice President.
The complaint further alleged that Mr. Adu Boahen demanded Two Hundred Thousand United States dollars (US$200,000.00) to be given to the Vice President for the purposes of facilitating a meeting to be set up by Mr. Adu Boahen between the Vice President and the undercover agents.
The OSP thus conducted an investigation after inviting and speaking to the various interested parties thus leading to this conclusion.
