OSP Charges Former NPA CEO, Others Over GHC280 Million Extortion and Money Laundering Scandal

OSP Charges Former NPA CEO, Others Over GHC280 Million Extortion and Money Laundering Scandal

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has leveled sweeping charges against seven individuals and three companies in what is being described as one of the most expansive corruption schemes within the National Petroleum Authority (NPA). The accused face 25 counts including extortion and money laundering involving an alleged GHC280.5 million criminal enterprise.

Among those charged is the former Chief Executive Officer of the NPA, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, along with Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF), and Wendy Newman, an NPA staff member. Also implicated are directors of three companies—Kel Logistics Limited, Kings Energy Limited, and Propnest Limited—which the OSP says were used to launder illicit proceeds.

According to a two-page statement released by the OSP and signed by its Director of Strategy, Research & Communication, Samuel Appiah Darko, the accused persons orchestrated an unlawful extortion and laundering scheme between 2022 and 2024. They allegedly exploited their official positions within the NPA to divert public funds from petroleum transporters and oil marketing companies.

The OSP reports that GHC280,516,127.19 was unlawfully collected during this period. Out of this amount, GHC24 million was reportedly handed directly to Abdul-Hamid by Amuah, while GHC227.2 million was disbursed by Newman under Amuah’s direction.

The statement also revealed that four additional accused persons—Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Bright Bediako-Mensah, and Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah—in collaboration with a fugitive director of Kel Logistics, created a network of shell companies to launder the funds. The illicit proceeds were allegedly used to purchase and construct houses, acquire trucks for oil distribution, and build fuel stations in a bid to mask the origins of the funds.

All seven individuals and the three companies have been charged with multiple offenses including:

• Extortion by a Public Officer, contrary to Section 151 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29)
• Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, under Section 23 of Act 29 and relevant provisions of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044)
• Money Laundering, contrary to Sections 1(1), 1(2), and 4 of Act 1044

One of the accused, Osei Tutu Adjei, a director of Kel Logistics, is currently at large.

All other accused persons have been apprehended and will appear before the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra on a date to be announced for their pleas to be taken.

The OSP emphasized its unwavering commitment to combatting corruption in public institutions, urging the public to remain vigilant and report any suspected cases.