The Office of Special Prosecutor has formally charged the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and 6 others for allegedly involving themselves in a Gh¢ 280 million cedis scandal relating to money laundering and extortion surrounding dealings at the downstream petroleum sector regulator.
The latest development comes on the office releasing a statement detailing the alleged criminal activities carried out by the individuals mentioned during the period running from 2022 to 2024.
The statement dated July 17 further revealed that the latest charges levelled against the stated individuals stems from painstaking investigations carried out by the OSP and its assigns into the activities of the NPA under the leadership of Dr Mustapha Abdul Hamid during the second term of Ex-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo.
Between 2022 and December 2024, Abdul-Hamid, alongside Jacob Kwamina Amuah—then Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund—and Wendy Newman, an NPA staff member, orchestrated a criminal scheme to extort payments from petroleum transporters and oil marketing companies.
“The scheme… lacked any lawful mandate and exploited their positions within the NPA,” the OSP stated, adding that GH¢280,516,127.19 was unlawfully collected under the guise of regulatory operations. This clandestine abuse of power was evident in the management and ouflows of the underlisted funds through proxy accounts that flouts laid down procedures indicated in the Public Financial Management Act of the country.”
The statement further disclosed that Amuah directly handed GH¢24 million to Abdul-Hamid, while GH¢227.2 million was channelled through Newman under Amuah’s instruction.
The remaining accused persons—directors of Kel Logistics, Kings Energy, and Propnest Ltd.—allegedly laundered the illicit proceeds through the acquisition of properties, the construction of fuel stations, and the purchase of oil trucks.
“These companies were created and used to conceal and disguise the origin of criminal proceeds,” portions of the statement read.
Key among the charges levelled against all the accused involves; Extortion by a Public Officer, Conspiract to commit Money Laundering and Money Laundering all captured under the relevant sections of the Criminal Offences Act as well as the Anti-Money Laundering Acts as established by the laws of Ghana.
The accused are being held by the OSP and will be formally put before a court of competent jurisdiction for their pleas to be taken in the coming days.
The OSP has served its strongest commitment to deal ruthlessly persons who flout the laws of Ghana with regards to crimes which fall within its legal mandate without fear or favour.
Story by Sika Togoh|univers.ug.edu.gh
