The Attorney General has initiated legal action against businessman Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong and his company, J.A Plantpool Ghana Limited, over an alleged $2 million overpayment linked to the government’s District Road Improvement Programme, widely known as DRIP.
Court documents filed by the Attorney General claim that the government entered into an agreement with Plantpool in 2024 for the supply of equipment under the nationwide road improvement initiative. According to the suit, the total contract amount approved and paid by the state stood at $178,704,739.50.
The Attorney General, however, contends that the final contract value contained a significant numerical discrepancy that allegedly resulted in an excess payment to the company.
The case, now before the court, seeks the recovery of the disputed amount from both Dr Agyepong and J.A Plantpool Ghana Limited.
Dispute Over Contract Figures
According to the court filing, the executed agreement included a schedule listing nine categories of equipment together with their unit costs and total amounts.
The Attorney General argues that although the total figure stated at the bottom of the schedule was captured as $178,704,739.50, a proper calculation of the individual figures produced a lower amount of $176,704,739.50. The alleged discrepancy of exactly $2 million forms the basis of the state’s legal action.
The Attorney General maintains that the contract sum approved under the agreement reflected the incorrect total stated at the bottom of the schedule instead of the actual cumulative value derived from adding the listed unit costs.
According to the suit, despite what has been described as a glaring computational error, the state proceeded to pay the full contract amount captured in the agreement.
“The contract sum corresponds to the wrong total at the bottom of the schedule and not the correct figure if one accurately adds the unit costs,” the Attorney General argued in the court documents.
The filing further stated that attempts had been made to recover the alleged excess payment before the matter was taken to court.
Demand for Refund
The Attorney General indicated that a formal demand had been made to J. A Plantpool Ghana Limited and Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong for the refund of the disputed $2 million.
According to the filing, the state did not receive the requested refund, prompting the decision to pursue legal action for recovery of the money. The suit is therefore asking the court to order the defendants to refund the alleged excess payment made under the DRIP contract.
The Attorney General’s action is expected to draw significant public attention given the scale of the DRIP programme and the prominence of the parties involved.
The District Road Improvement Programme was introduced by the previous NPP administration to improve road infrastructure and support district-level development through the supply of road construction and maintenance equipment across the country.
The programme became one of the government’s flagship infrastructure interventions ahead of the 2024 general election period.
Matter Remains Before the Court
At this stage, the claims remain allegations before the court and have not been determined by any judicial ruling. Neither Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong nor J. A Plantpool Ghana Limited has publicly responded to the allegations contained in the Attorney General’s filing at the time of publication.
The case is likely to attract close scrutiny due to its financial implications and the wider public interest surrounding government procurement and infrastructure spending.
The outcome of the suit could also influence future discussions on contract verification processes, procurement oversight, and payment validation mechanisms within public sector transactions.
For now, the matter remains before the court as the Attorney General seeks judicial intervention to recover the disputed amount.
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