In a significant move to clamp down on high-level corruption, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has charged former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, along with six others and three companies, for their alleged involvement in a massive extortion and money laundering scheme worth over GHC280 million.
The charges, filed at the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra, stem from extensive investigations that began in late 2024 into suspicious financial transactions and the diversion of public funds within the NPA. According to the OSP, between 2022 and December 2024, Abdul-Hamid, working in concert with Jacob Kwamina Amuah Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) and Managing Director of three corporate entities and NPA staff member Wendy Newman, devised and executed a criminal scheme that illegally extracted more than GHC280 million from petroleum transporters and oil marketing companies.
The extortion ring, which operated under the guise of official authority, was allegedly masterminded by Abdul-Hamid and implemented on the ground by Amuah and Newman. The OSP reports that during the course of 2024, Amuah handed GHC24 million in cash directly to Abdul-Hamid, while an additional GHC227.2 million was routed through Newman for further undisclosed purposes.
The scandal deepens with the involvement of four other individuals, Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Bright Bediako-Mensah, and Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah, who are accused of conspiring with a now-fugitive director of Kel Logistics Limited to launder the illicit proceeds. The group is said to have used three companies, Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited, and Kings Energy Limited, as fronts to legitimize the dirty money. These funds were allegedly used to acquire luxury homes, invest in oil transportation equipment, and construct fuel stations, all to obscure the origin of the criminal proceeds.
All seven individuals, along with the three companies, face 25 charges, including extortion by a public officer, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and actual money laundering offenses under Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act (Act 29) and the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044).
Meanwhile, Osei Tutu Adjei, a director of one of the accused companies, remains at large, and the OSP has launched a search for his arrest.
The accused have been taken into custody and are expected to appear before the court soon for their pleas to be taken.
In a statement following the charges, the OSP reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to rooting out corruption in public institutions, urging all agencies and citizens to remain alert and report any suspected wrongdoing. The case is expected to draw significant public and political attention as it proceeds, given its scale and the seniority of those involved.
