The Criminal Division of the High Court has adjourned to December 9, 2025, the taking of plea in the case involving former Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, and nine others who are facing charges of extortion and money laundering.
The adjournment followed an administrative reassignment of the case from Criminal Court 3 to Criminal Court 4 after prosecutors filed additional charges, increasing the counts from 25 to 54.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on Thursday.
According to the statement, the hearing scheduled for today could not proceed as planned because the new court rescheduled the matter to its next available date, December 9.
The OSP alleges that the offences involve a total of GH₵291,574,087.19 and US$332,407.47.
The amended charge sheet lists 54 criminal counts against officials of the NPA and several associated companies for alleged large-scale extortion, abuse of public office, and money laundering.
Between December 2022 and December 2024, Dr Abdul-Hamid, Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund, and Wendy Newman, a staff member of the NPA Audit Department, allegedly used their positions to extort money from bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies without any lawful authority.
According to the OSP, Investigations revealed that the illicit funds were laundered through three companies, Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited, and Kings Energy Limited, allegedly owned or managed by some of the accused persons.
The funds were reportedly used to purchase and construct houses, acquire trucks for oil distribution, and build fuel stations in an attempt to conceal the proceeds.
Meanwhile, Dr Abdul-Hamid could not move his application for the release of his passport due to the change in court, according to the OSP.
The statement added that he may move the application on the next adjourned date. The motion relates to travel plans to Canada between November 17 and 23, 2025, to attend an alleged political event.
Dr Abdul-Hamid was ordered by the court to surrender his passport as part of his bail conditions and remains on the OSP’s stop list.
On July 23, he was granted bail in the sum of GH₵2 million. As part of his bail conditions, he is required to produce two sureties, each earning a net monthly salary of at least GH₵5,000.
He is also required to report to the OSP once every two weeks as investigations and proceedings continue.
The other accused persons include Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Wendy Newman, Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Bright Bediako-Mensah, and Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah, as well as three companies: Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited, and Kings Energy Limited.
In connection with the trial, assets valued at more than GH₵100 million have been seized and frozen by the state.
