The Office of the Attorney-General (A-G) has filed criminal charges against two former senior officials of the National Service Authority (NSA) in connection with an alleged corruption scheme that cost the state approximately GH¢653 million.
The accused persons — Osei Assibey Antwi, former Executive Director, and Gifty Oware-Mensah, former Deputy Executive Director — are facing separate indictments filed at the High Court in Accra. The A-G’s office alleges that the two orchestrated distinct but coordinated schemes involving “ghost” service personnel and fraudulent loan transactions.
Mr. Antwi has been charged with 14 counts, including causing financial loss to the Republic, stealing, and money laundering.
According to the prosecution, he authorized the payment of allowances to over 60,000 non-existent national service personnel, leading to a loss of GH¢500,861,744.02 to the state.
He is further accused of stealing GH¢8,256,000 between August 2023 and May 2024, and of misappropriating GH¢106 million withdrawn from the NSA’s Kumawu Farm Project account — funds that were allegedly never used for their intended purpose.
The state also claims Mr. Antwi laundered part of the stolen money by transferring GH¢8.26 million into his personal e-zwich account, fully aware that the funds were proceeds of crime.
In total, the value of the alleged offences attributed to Mr. Antwi amounts to GH¢615,117,744.02.
Former Deputy Executive Director Gifty Oware-Mensah is facing five counts, including stealing, willfully causing financial loss, using public office for profit, and money laundering.
The prosecution alleges that while overseeing the NSA’s Finance and Procurement Departments, she exploited the Authority’s “marketplace” platform — a hire-purchase system for service personnel — to perpetrate a large-scale fraud.
Investigators say she used her private company, Blocks of Life Consult, to create a list of 9,934 fictitious names on the NSA’s database. She allegedly used this falsified data to secure a GH¢31.5 million loan from the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) by claiming her company had supplied goods to those ghost personnel, using their allowances as collateral.
After the funds were released, she reportedly transferred GH¢22.9 million to another company where she served as a director. The prosecution noted that no goods were ever supplied, and with accrued interest, the scheme caused a total loss of GH¢38,458,248.87 to the state.
The case marks one of the most significant corruption prosecutions in recent years involving the public service. Both accused persons are expected to appear before the High Court in Accra in the coming days as the state seeks to recover the funds and hold the officials accountable for the alleged financial losses.
