The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr , 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 Watch as ongoing GRNMA strike disrupts healthcare, leaves patients stranded Meanwhile, BECE 2025 kicks off across Ghana as over 600,000 candidates sit exams
