Adom-Otchere challenges OSP’s asset declaration order in court

Former Ghana Airports Company Board Chairman, Paul Adom-Otchere, has filed an application at the High Court challenging a directive from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) ordering him to declare his property and income.

His legal team, led by former Attorney-General Godfred Dame, argues that the directive—issued on August 4, 2025—is unlawful, unconstitutional, and constitutes an abuse of power. They contend that it violates the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) and its accompanying regulations.

Mr. Adom-Otchere, who is currently under investigation for alleged corruption in the award of a revenue assurance contract between the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) and Evatex Limited, is seeking several reliefs from the court. These include a declaration that the OSP’s order and alleged threats of “legal consequences,” “confiscation,” and “detention” are illegal and amount to harassment.

He is also requesting a prohibition order to restrain the OSP from detaining him should he decline to comply with the asset declaration directive.

The OSP’s investigation focuses on a revenue assurance audit contract reportedly involving GACL and a private company, Evatex Limited. The probe seeks to uncover possible irregularities in the financial arrangements and execution of the deal, especially regarding the management and accounting of airport revenues.

In a letter dated July 25, 2025, the OSP officially identified Mr. Adom-Otchere as a suspect in the ongoing investigation into alleged corruption and related offences connected to the GACL contract. He was directed to appear before investigators at the OSP’s South Ridge office on July 31, 2025.

Following his appearance, Mr. Adom-Otchere was detained and later granted bail. However, according to an OSP statement released the same day, “Mr. Adom-Otchere has so far been unable to meet his bail conditions.”

The OSP explained that he was required to present two landed properties registered in his name as surety. “He has informed the OSP that he does not own landed property in Ghana. As a result, he remains in custody until the bail terms are satisfied,” the statement read.

Two other individuals were also implicated in the case — Otchere Kwame Baffour Awuah, Group Executive for Commercial Services at GACL, and Albert Adjetey Adjei-Laryea, CEO of Devnest Systems.

Mr. Adom-Otchere was eventually released from custody on August 1, 2025, after his lawyers, led by Mr. Dame, negotiated revised bail terms. The OSP later confirmed that the new conditions, which were secured by the Jospong Group of Companies acting as surety, met the objectives of the original bail.

“The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has accepted revised bail conditions proposed by legal counsel for Mr. Paul Adom-Otchere, former Board Chairman of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL). The revised terms, which meet the objectives of the original bail conditions, have been secured by the Jospong Group of Companies,” the OSP said, noting that investigations remain ongoing.