… as Tensions Mount Over ‘Witch-Hunt’ Claims
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has detained Paul Adom-Otchere, former Board Chairman of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), after several hours of questioning in connection with a controversial revenue assurance contract under investigation.
Adom-Otchere, who had confirmed in a Citi Newsroom interview that he would honor the OSP’s summons on Thursday afternoon, was taken into custody later that evening. His legal team has since declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding his detention or disclose his current whereabouts.
The OSP officially designated Adom-Otchere as a suspect in a letter dated July 25, 2025, as part of an expanding probe into alleged corruption and corruption-related offences linked to a contract between GACL and a private firm. The investigation is focused on whether procurement processes and public interest considerations were violated in the deal’s execution.
Adom-Otchere, however, has pushed back strongly, calling the investigation a politically motivated “witch-hunt” and claiming he had no direct involvement in the contract’s approval or execution.
“The contract in question was signed by the Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company,” he said before his detention. “As Board Chairman, I was not even aware the contract had been finalized.”
He also questioned the OSP’s focus on him when, according to him, operational decisions were made by GACL’s management. “Why am I the target, and not those who were directly responsible for the contract?” he asked pointedly.
The high-profile detention adds another layer of tension to the OSP’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign, which in recent months has netted several current and former public officials across multiple sectors.
While some observers have praised the OSP’s assertiveness, critics — including Adom-Otchere — warn that the current approach risks being perceived as selective and politicized.
The Ghana Airports Company is yet to issue a formal statement on the matter, and the OSP has not released further details on the scope or expected timeline of its investigation.
As public interest in the case mounts, pressure is likely to grow on both the OSP and GACL to provide transparency and clarity on the revenue assurance contract and the circumstances leading to Adom-Otchere’s detention.
