Former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Gifty Oware Mensah, has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges over her alleged involvement in a scheme that caused the state more than GH¢38 million in financial losses.

Mrs. Oware Mensah was arraigned before the Accra High Court on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, where she faced five counts—including willfully causing financial loss to the state, stealing, money laundering, and using public office for profit.

According to prosecutors, during her tenure, she allegedly created 9,934 fictitious national service personnel and unlawfully benefited from the monthly allowances disbursed under those ghost names. The alleged acts, they said, resulted in a significant loss to the state.

The prosecution noted that the case forms part of the government’s broader efforts to clamp down on payroll fraud and ghost name rackets within public institutions.

Counsel for Mrs. Oware Mensah, Nanabayin Ackon, applied for bail, describing his client as a responsible public officer with a permanent residence and no intention of absconding or interfering with investigations. He stressed that she had fully cooperated with investigators throughout the inquiry.

After considering the arguments, the court granted bail set at GH¢10 million, with three sureties, two of whom must be justified.

As part of the bail conditions, Mrs. Oware Mensah must surrender all passports to the court’s registry and report to the police twice a month—on the first Tuesday and Thursday—until the case is concluded.

The court also directed the prosecution to file and serve all witness statements and evidence before the next hearing, which is expected to continue in the coming weeks.