The Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has announced the imminent prosecution of the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab, and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, for their alleged roles in an elaborate criminal enterprise that pilfered GH¢78.2 million from state coffers.
The couple, alongside several NAFCO officials, will be charged tomorrow with a litany of offences, including stealing, conspiracy to steal, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, using public office for profit, and money laundering.
Dubbed the "Rumble in the Jungle" by the A-G, the scheme allegedly saw funds meant for the School Feeding Programme siphoned through a network of shell companies, while food suppliers went unpaid and schoolchildren were deprived of nutrition.
Update on ORAL cases
In a comprehensive press briefing at the Jubilee House yesterday, the Attorney-General also provided updates on the ongoing investigations stemming from the ORAL Committee report.
He disclosed that the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) has concluded investigations into 12 major cases, including SkyTrain, the National Service Authority (NSA) ghost names, SML, and the Pwalugu Dam alleged scandals.
Significantly, Dr Ayine revealed that the estimated loss in the NSA scandal had ballooned from the initial GH¢548 million to GH¢2.2 billion following a forensic audit by the Auditor-General.
"Prosecutions have commenced in the SkyTrain and National Service scandals,” he said, adding that about 10 cases would ultimately be filed in the NSA scandal.
Investigations are still ongoing for other high-profile matters, including the African Games, Mathematical Sets, the Bank of Ghana Head Office building, Stadia Renovation, and the National Cathedral.
"Rumble in the Jungle" unravelled
Delving into the Buffer Stock scandal, the A-G detailed how Mr Abdul-Wahab, who served as CEO from 2017 to 2024, colluded with his wife and NAFCO staff to orchestrate the alleged theft of GH¢78.269 million.
He explained that the couple allegedly used seven entities, Alqarni Enterprise, Aludiba Enterprise, Energy Partners Limited, Fa-Hausa Ventures, Fa-Hausa Company Limited, Aludiba Foundation, and Sawtina Enterprise, as vehicles to receive and launder the proceeds of crime.
"My fellow countrymen and women, I called the criminal enterprise operated by Mr Abdul-Wahab and his collaborators at the Buffer Stock 'the Rumble in the Jungle' not only because of the huge amount of money at stake but because of the fact that while food suppliers were wailing and gnashing their teeth due to failure to pay them, and while our school kids were being denied nutrition Mr Abdul-Wahab and his collaborators were busy lawlessly looting funds meant for the Programme.
That is jungle behaviour," the A-G stated emphatically.
The Modus Operandi
A key conduit in the scheme was Sawtina Enterprise, a company allegedly owned by NAFCO's Northern Sector Manager, James Atieku-Apawu, which in itself put him in a conflict of interest situation.
Dr Ayine revealed that while Sawtina received GH¢78.2 million from the Buffer Stock for purported food supplies, only GH¢27.4 million was backed by genuine supplies.
"The bulk of the payments, about 98 per cent of the GH¢78.2 million, were instantly re-transferred to Alqarni Enterprise, Fa-Hausa Ventures and other entities owned and controlled by or affiliated to Hanan Abdul-Wahab and Faiza Seidu Wuni," the A-G said.
Lavish properties
The alleged ill-gotten wealth, according to Dr Ayine, was lavishly spent on high-end real estate across the country.
The assets traced and frozen by the state include a five-bedroom house purchased for $1.6 million, a three-bedroom house in Cantonments bought for $600,000, and a luxury three-plot development at Finali’s Airport site, now valued at approximately $2.5 million.
Others are a 17-bedroom boutique hotel in Tamale operating under a Villa Monticello franchise, multiple residential and commercial properties in Accra and Tamale, as well as a government land in Accra.
The state has also frozen a fixed deposit of GH¢10 million belonging to Mr Abdul-Wahab, several vehicles, and over 61 luxury handbags.
The Attorney-General affirmed the government's resolve to hold public officers accountable, stating that the evidence gathered by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) was overwhelming.
Patience
The A-G appealed to Ghanaians to be patient with his office as it gathers enough evidence to secure a successful conviction in any criminal trial.
“I was not an incompetent lawyer in private practice, and I wouldn’t want to be an incompetent lawyer in public office,” Dr Ayine declared.
