Twelve current and former executives of the National Service Authority (NSA), along with several private sector vendors, are set to be prosecuted for their alleged roles in one of Ghana’s most far-reaching public sector scandals, Attorney-General Dominic Ayine announced Friday.
The charges stem from a multi-year scheme involving the creation and maintenance of over 63,000 ghost names on the NSA’s payroll, resulting in the loss of GHS548.3 million between 2018 and 2024.
“Our investigations have revealed a sprawling criminal enterprise whose network covers the entire country,” Ayine said. “This enterprise was run by top-level executives of the NSA and their accomplices in the private sector known as vendors or service providers.”
The ghost names were submitted to the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GHIPSS) alongside genuine names, enabling payments to be fraudulently processed. Despite the use of the so-called Metric App for facial recognition and ID verification, a recent headcount revealed 81,885 ghost names still existed on the payroll.
Those facing charges include former NSA Director-General Osei Assibey Antwi, ex-deputy director Gifty Oware-Mensah, and former executive director Mustapha Yussif. The alleged crimes include stealing, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and causing financial loss to the state.
“The criminality involved here not only robbed the state of vital resources but also undermined the very values of civic responsibility and patriotism the NSA was meant to instill,” Ayine noted.
Some vendors have agreed to non-prosecution agreements in exchange for cooperating with the state. The Attorney-General further confirmed that asset recovery investigations are underway as part of the broader Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative launched by President Mahama.
