The hearing of the criminal case involving the former Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Osei Assibey Antwi, and his former deputy, Gifty Oware-Mensah, has been indefinitely adjourned.

Osei Assibey Antwi and his deputy, Gifty Oware, were scheduled to make their first court appearance on Friday, 17th October, but the duo failed to show up.

Lawyers for Osei Assibey Antwi told the Accra High Court that their client had not been served with any formal notice or charge sheet regarding the case against him.

His lawyer, Paa Kwesi Kuboadzi, appeared in informal attire and explained that, “I was called about an hour ago to appear in court. That is why I am naked.”

He emphasized that they were not given prior notice and requested that the prosecution provide ample time and proper service before the next hearing. Also, Assibey’s legal counsel noted that his client was busy cooperating with the police on a separate matter in Kumasi.

However, his deputy, Oware, submitted a two-day excuse duty, with her lawyers disclosing that their client is unwell and unable to attend proceedings.

The Attorney General of Ghana formally filed criminal charges against Osei Assibey Antwi and Gifty Oware-Mensah on Monday, October 13. The accusations include causing financial loss to the Republic, with the main charge suggesting that he approved payments of allowances to over 60,000 ghost national service personnel, leading to a total loss of GH¢500,861,744.02.

He is additionally charged with several counts of theft, amounting to GH¢8,256,000, which allegedly occurred between August 2023 and May 2024.

Prosecutors say Mr Antwi diverted project funds, authorizing the withdrawal of GH¢106 million from the NSA’s Kumawu Farm Project account on five different occasions without using any of it for the intended purpose.

The state also contends that he engaged in money laundering by transferring GH¢8.26 million into his personal e-zwich account and taking control of the funds despite knowing they were criminal proceeds.

In total, the alleged offenses connected to Mr. Antwi are valued at approximately GH¢615,117,744.02. Gifty Oware-Mensah, on the other hand, has been charged with five offenses, including Stealing, Willfully Causing Financial Loss, Using Public Office for Profit, and Money Laundering.

Court documents indicate that Oware-Mensah, who managed the Finance and Procurement units of the NSA, allegedly masterminded a sophisticated scheme centered on the Authority’s “marketplace” platform, a system intended to offer hire-purchase services to national service personnel.

Prosecutors claim she gained control of a private entity, Blocks of Life Consult, and created a list of 9,934 fictitious names within the NSA database.

She is said to have then approached the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), falsely asserting that her company had supplied goods to those ghost beneficiaries and required a loan, using their fake allowances as collateral.

This deception allegedly led to a loan arrangement between ADB and the NSA, which resulted in GH¢31.5 million being paid directly into her company’s account. Of that amount, she is accused of transferring over GH¢22.9 million to another company where she also served as a director.

Investigations revealed that no goods were ever delivered to any service personnel. Her actions, with interest included, are alleged to have cost the state a total of GH¢38,458,248.87.

A couple of months ago, Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, revealed that eight individuals, including three former officers of the National Service Authority (NSA), had admitted to their involvement in the misappropriation of funds at the National Service Scheme (NSS).

Providing an update on the case as part of the Government Accountability Series on Monday, July 28, Dr. Ayine disclosed that eight individuals want to plead guilty in exchange for lighter punishment in this regard.

He explained that the office intended to file formal charges last week; however, it has been postponed following new revelations regarding the ongoing case.

The new evidence, he noted, is tied to a Bank of Ghana account linked to former NSA Director-General, Mr. Osei Assibey, suggesting potential embezzlement involving public funds.According to him, a total of GH¢189 million was deposited into the account of Mr. Osei Assibey; however, GH¢80 million can not be accounted for.

Furthermore, nearly GH¢2 million was allegedly withdrawn using two cheques that carried Mr. Assibey’s name and account information.

The A-G has stated that the office has reached out to the Bank of Ghana, the Ministry of Finance, and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department for further information and documentation.

“The National Service Authority scandal case was due to be filed last week. However, we stumbled upon evidence of malfeasance involving an account at the Bank of Ghana.“Out of the GH¢189 million transferred, GH¢80 million cannot be traced. Two cheques linked to the former Director-General were used to withdraw just under GH¢2 million,” Dr. Ayine stated.

He added that some of the accused have shown readiness to provide testimony against their fellow accused, with several vendors and service providers also reportedly willing to support the prosecution as witnesses. Earlier this year, a non-profit investigative body, The Fourth Estate, released a report into the payroll records from 2017 to 2023 and the 2024 National Service Year.

The finding revealed serious irregularities within the NSA, uncovering how a 72-year-old Kenyan, Kwame Donkor, was wrongly listed as a beneficiary. Mr Donkor was enlisted on the payroll with a photo and not an official ID card, which is unusual.

However, the photo belonged to Emmanuel Mutio, a Human Resource Manager at a private IT company in Kenya. The 72-year-old Kenyan had his name appear on the payroll 226 times as a registered beneficiary.

The Fourth Estate initially uncovered the issue in November 2024, but the NSA obtained a court order preventing them from publishing the findings.

After the court lifted the injunction, the report was finally released. In response, President John Dramani Mahama ordered a probe into the matter.

The NIB, upon the President's directive, interrogated the former Deputy Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Gifty Oware-Mensah, and Kwaku Ohene Djan, who is also a former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority.The payroll fraud reportedly costs Ghana GHȼ50 million monthly. In May, the Authority interdicted two of its officials in the Brim North District, Eastern Region.

Meanwhile, a new posting and management system designed to automate allowance payments and eliminate ghost names from the national service payroll has been introduced by the National Service Authority (NSA).

Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, Ruth Dela Seddoh, said the enhanced digital platform integrates directly with Ghana’s national identification database to verify personnel identities and ages against tertiary institution records, effectively eliminating ghost names and duplicate entries.

He told the media on Tuesday, October 7, the system introduces end-to-end automation, from posting to allowance processing, to ensure only verified personnel are paid.

“The payroll is automatically generated from verified and appraised personnel data, ensuring that only eligible and validated service personnel receive their allowances. The system checks, cross-checks, and confirms all records before processing payments,” she explained.

Ruth Dela Seddoh disclosed that attendance monitoring has been upgraded through geofencing technology, which ensures personnel can only check in when they are physically at their designated workplaces, an initiative designed to curb absenteeism and eliminate proxy attendance.

Apart from payroll improvements, the upgraded system incorporates a smart placement algorithm that automatically assigns personnel to institutions based on their qualifications, regional choices, and institutional requirements.

The platform also simplifies approval processes, attendance validation, and report submission, minimizing delays and the need for manual handling.

Every service personnel will now have access to a customized dashboard showing their posting information, institution details, duty records, and a digital certificate with a QR code for instant authentication.