The Management of J.A. Plant Pool (Ghana) Limited (JAPP) has refuted claims made by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, regarding the company’s supply of heavy-duty equipment for the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP).
The Ghana government’s DRIP seeks to improve rural accessibility through the upgrading and maintenance of district roads, thereby fostering economic growth and enhancing social connectivity.
The Attorney-General (A-G), at a press briefing as part of the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, disclosed that the contract between the Government of Ghana and JAPP regarding the supply of heavy-duty equipment in February 2024 was among the cases that appeared before the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) Committee.
Following the report, A-G Ayine revealed that his office had undertaken a review of the documents to establish elements of criminality before proceeding to initiate prosecution, thereby aiming to mitigate potential acquittals by defence counsels.
According to him, the due process uncovered an overpayment in relation to the sum stated in the DRIP contract with JAPP, amounting to US$2 million.
“In respect of the DRIP Programme, I have demanded a refund of Two Million United States Dollars (USD 2,000,000.00) from J.A. Plant Pool after investigations revealed financial irregularities in the District Roads Improvement Programme. Although the contract sum was USD 176 million, records showed that a total of USD 178 million was paid, resulting in an excess of USD 2 million,” the A-G noted in his statement.
Meanwhile, JAPP, in a statement issued on Thursday, October 23, 2025, has clarified that no overpayment was made by the Ghana government regarding the contract.
According to the release, the contract sum as stipulated in the procurement process was US$178 million and not US$176 million as stated by the A-G, clarifying that the alleged overpayment stems from a clerical error made by the approving authorities, which JAPP directed should be rectified.
“The total contract price was stated as USD 178,704,739.50, consistent with Clause 3.1.1 of the contract, which expressly provides that “this amount represents the full contract price for the supply of the equipment by the Supplier.”
“The Public Procurement Authority’s approval document stated the amount of USD 178,704,739.50 which was consistent with the same USD 178,704,739.50 clearly stated in the contract,” portions of the release clarified.
It added that: “It is therefore factually incorrect to assert that the contract sum was USD 176 million. The official contract amount, duly executed by all Parties, remains USD 178,704,739.50.”
That, JAPP says was “a clerical mistake in the PPA’s approval letter, particularly relating to the pricing of the wheel loader line item gave the appearance of discrepancy. The Supplier, JAPP, promptly notified the approving authorities upon discovery of the error, for the same to be corrected.”
“Accordingly, any perceived excess of USD 2 million did not arise from an overpayment to JAPP, but from a clerical mistake and JAPP cannot be held liable for errors originating from approving authorities, especially where all approvals and payments were sanctioned through lawful governmental channels.”
It reemphasised that the A-G’s assertion from its review of the ORAL report is inaccurate and has asked that the error made by the government in its own documents be corrected.
“It must therefore be clearly stated that the total contract sum is USD 178,704,739.50 and not USD 176 million as stated by the Attorney-General and that no overpayment occurred. Government, being a continuum, bears the responsibility to rectify clerical errors appearing in its own documents and to regularise the record in accordance with the executed contract,” the statement stressed.
The full statement issued by JAPP can be accessed here:
ORAL fallout: A-G directs JA Plant Pool to refund US$2m excess payment received for DRIP equipment
