The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has named 22 persons the state will be prosecuting for their involvement in the National Service Scheme (NSS) ‘ghost names’ scandal.
According to Dr Ayine, the accused persons include 12 staff and former staff of the National Service Secretariat, as well as 10 vendors of the secretariat, who through a corrupt scheme, allegedly stole over GH¢548 million from the state.
The accused persons, who he described as a cabal, schemed to put ‘ghost names’ on the NSS payroll, which is approved by Parliament.
He said that after payments are released, the amounts allocated to the ‘ghost names’ are “deposited into ADB Bank accounts and diverted into private pockets.”
He went on to list the 12 suspects as follows:
Staff and former staff of the NSS:
Mustafa Yussif, a former executive director
Osei Assibey Antwi, former Director-General
Gifty Oware-Mensah, former deputy executive director
Kweku Ohene Gyan, former deputy executive director for operations
Abraham Bismark Gaisie, head of deployment
Eric Nyarko, former head of accounts
Albert Oteng Owusu, former internal auditor
Kweku Dekyi Agyei, an accounts officer
Iddrisu Ibn Abu-Bakr, former head of accounts
Stephen Kwabena Gyamfi, Koforidua Municipal Director
Prince Agbofa Awuku, a district director
Jacob Yawson, Management Information Systems Administrator in the Northern Regional Office
Vendors:
Isaac Osae Asamani, the owner of Stalwart/Option Buy Ventures
Charles Ohemeng, the owner of CH OHEC Ventures
Philomina Arthur, the owner of Brainwave Ventures
Rose Hamilton, the owner of Marine Ventures
Kwaku Opare Agbofa, the owner of Franlisa Ventures
Solomon Dwamena, the owner of Alfarita Ventures
Haruna Mawulaya, the owner of Alfayda Enterprise
Sylvia Ntriwa Opare, the owner of Sylsona Ventures
Peter Mensah, a legal practitioner and the husband of Gifty Oware-Mensah
The Attorney General went on to list the charges against the accused persons as follows:
Stealing, contrary to section 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29)
Conspiracy to steal, contrary to sections 23(1) and 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29)
Wilfully causing financial loss to the state, contrary to section 179A(3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29)
Using public office for profit, contrary to section 179C(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29)
Obtaining public property by false statements, contrary to section 5 of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD 140)
Money laundering, contrary to section 1(2)(c) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044)
Conspiracy to commit money laundering, contrary to section 3 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044).
BAI/MA
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