Barker-Vormawor questions DVLA boss over alleged GH¢4 million bribe

Private legal practitioner Oliver Barker-Vormawor has questioned whether the Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey, reported an alleged GH¢4 million bribe offer to his sector minister and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

Barker-Vormawor raised the question in a Facebook post on September 18, 2026, after Kotey disclosed that he had rejected the cash allegedly offered to stop the implementation of Ghana’s new vehicle number plate system.

“Eih. What did they want? And did you tell your sector minister and OSP?” Barker-Vormawor asked.

Kotey, speaking on the September 17, 2026 edition of the Starr Chat show, said an individual came to his office with a bag containing GH¢4 million in an attempt to persuade him to halt the implementation of the new number plates.

He said he rejected the offer because of the confidence President John Mahama had placed in him and his determination to leave a legacy at the DVLA.

“Somebody came to my office with a bag containing GH¢4 million to bribe me to stop the implementation of the new number plates, but I had to reject it because the President had so much confidence in me,” he said.

Kotey said he was particularly interested in seeing the new plates implemented because of their ability to be scanned to provide vehicle information instantly.

'Cartel offered me GH¢4 million to halt new number plate reforms' – DVLA CEO

He further disclosed that he had submitted evidence of the alleged bribery attempt to the OSP for investigation.

“I gave the evidence to the Special Prosecutor. Yes, I did everything. But we had indications that the one who sent them passed on. I even know his name now,” he said.

According to Kotey, the individual believed to have been behind the alleged bribe had since died. He described the person as an elderly man.

The DVLA boss also explained that he did not initially inform the police because reporting the matter to security personnel did not occur to him at the time. He said police protection was later provided after he began receiving threats from individuals opposed to the change in the number plate system.

Kotey linked the alleged bribery attempt to interests seeking to protect revenue streams associated with the previous number plate regime.

The new digitalised number plates, which incorporate Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and other security features, are part of reforms aimed at improving vehicle identification and addressing issues such as vehicle cloning, smuggling, fake registrations and associated revenue losses.

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