The lead contractor for the delayed Weija Paediatric Specialist Hospital has been arrested by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) after a meeting with Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, sources familiar with the matter told Asaase News on Friday.

The contractor was arrested at the Ministry of Health shortly after a meeting convened to discuss the prolonged impasse over the commissioning of the World Bank-funded hospital, the sources said.

According to sources, the contractor, who had been based in the United States, returned to Ghana on Thursday to honour an invitation from the minister aimed at resolving outstanding issues delaying the opening of the facility.

EOCO officers waiting at the ministry arrested the contractor immediately after the meeting ended and took him into custody.

Neither EOCO nor the Ministry of Health has officially commented on the arrest or disclosed any charges.

The Weija Paediatric Specialist Hospital has remained closed despite the completion of the physical infrastructure, with the delay becoming the subject of public criticism.

The Ministry of Health has previously alleged procurement irregularities involving medical equipment supplied for the project, claiming some items were priced at up to 11 times their market value. The ministry said those concerns prompted the World Bank to withhold outstanding payments, leading to a dispute over the project.

The contractor has denied any wrongdoing and blamed the ministry for the delay in operationalising the hospital.

The contractor has also threatened legal action over what it described as defamatory allegations and maintained that the facility could not be handed over until outstanding financial obligations were resolved.

Asaase News understands the contractor remains in EOCO custody as investigations continue.

Officials have not confirmed whether the arrest is directly linked to the procurement dispute, and no formal charges had been announced by Friday.