By Francis Kobena Tandoh
Some 12 former officials of the National Service Authority (NSA) will be charged by the government of Ghana in connection with a major nationwide financial scandal, according to Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dominic Ayine on Friday.
Addressing a press conference in the Ghanaian capital of Accra, he observed that those involved were personnel of the country’s National Service Authority (NSA) and that the action is part of the government’s anti-corruption agenda to protect the public purse under the name Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL).
According to the Attorney General, investigations conducted by the new government have uncovered that certain individuals in positions of authority between 2019 and 2024 during the previous administration orchestrated a scheme, which he described as a “criminal enterprise” involving directors, staff, and service providers, which led to the loss of some 548.3 million Ghana cedis, or 53.2 million U.S. dollars.
“Having concluded our investigations, we will be filing charges against twelve suspects who worked as directors and staff of the NSA,” said Ayine.
He explained that the action of the suspects involved creating ghost names in the NSA payroll system by some directors and staff, which was subsequently exploited to misappropriate state funds for their private gain.
The 12 individuals facing charges are:
Mustapha Ussif, a former Executive Director
Gifty Oware-Mensah, former Deputy Executive Director
Osei Assibey Antwi, former Director General
Kwaku Ohene Gyan, former Deputy Executive Director for Operations
Abraham Bismarck Gaise, former Internal Auditor
Kwaku Adjei, an Account Officer
Iddrisu Abubakar, former Head of Accounts
Stephen Kwabena Gyamfi, former Regional Director for Koforidua
Prince Awuku, a District Director
Jacob Yawson, Management Information Systems Administrator in the Northern Region
Two additional unnamed suspects are reportedly involved and will be added once formally identified.
Before the 2024 general election in Ghana, the opposition leader John Dramani Mahama promised to introduce an ORAL agenda as part of his efforts to fight corruption in the cocoa-growing, gold- and oil-rich West African country. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
Share Us
