Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has welcomed the reported recovery of GH¢120 million in connection with the conviction of former Northern Development Authority (NDA) Chief Executive Officer Sumaila Abdul-Rahman and three others, but says financial recovery alone should not be the end of the matter.

Mr Kpebu believes the court should have imposed a prison sentence of between six months and one year on the convicted individuals, arguing that punishment must also reflect the seriousness of the offences.

His comments follow a ruling by a High Court in Tamale on Friday, October 23, 2026, which convicted four people on seven counts in a case involving procurement contracts under the government’s Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP). <Cite refs={[“turn296421search1″,”turn296421search3”]}/>

Kpebu Calls for Prison Sentence

Mr Kpebu’s position is that recovering public funds is an important step, but a custodial sentence could also reinforce accountability for people found guilty of corruption-related offences.

He has proposed a prison term of between six months and one year, suggesting that financial penalties should not be the only form of punishment considered in cases involving public officials and procurement violations.

The argument raises a broader question about how Ghana’s justice system should balance the recovery of public funds with punishment and deterrence in corruption-related cases.

Court Convicts Former NDA CEO and Three Others

The four people convicted are former NDA Chief Executive Sumaila Abdul-Rahman, former Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Operations Stephen Yir-Eru Engmen, former Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Finance and Administration Patrick Seidu, and Andrew Kuundaari, Chief Executive of A&QS Consortium Limited.

The case involved procurement contracts awarded under IPEP. The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) initiated the prosecution after investigating a complaint filed by Mr Kpebu.

Although the court convicted the four on seven counts, it declined to impose immediate custodial sentences. Reports indicate that the court considered their advanced ages and the OSP’s intervention to prevent unlawful payments, meaning the state suffered no financial loss from the payments in question.

Instead, the court imposed fines of 1,000 penalty units for each count on which each person was convicted. <Cite refs={[“turn296421search0″,”turn296421search1”]}/>

Debate Over Accountability Continues

The ruling has renewed discussion about whether fines alone provide sufficient punishment for procurement-related offences, particularly when public officials are involved.

Supporters of financial penalties may point to their role in punishment and deterrence, while advocates of custodial sentences argue that imprisonment can demonstrate the seriousness with which the justice system treats wrongdoing.

Mr Kpebu’s call for a six-month to one-year prison sentence adds to that debate. The court’s decision, however, remains the operative ruling unless it is changed through the appropriate legal process.

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Source:Ghana News Page