Gifty Oware-Mensah trial: ADB processed initial transfer to secure deal — Witness
The head of Consumer Finance at the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), Gilbert Serbeh-Yeboah, has told the Accra High Court that the bank processed an initial transfer under the National Service Authority (NSA)-ADB hire purchase facility because it risked losing the transaction after delays in implementation.
Mr Serbeh-Yeboah who is a witness in the NSA scandal said, the accused, a former Deputy Executive Director of the NSA, Gifty Oware-Mensah, had become dissatisfied with delays in the arrangement and threatened to withdraw from it.
Continuing his cross-examination by counsel for the accused, Gary Nimako Marfo, in court yesterday, Mr Serbeh-Yeboah said the engagement between ADB and the NSA began in October 2022 but the transaction had not been executed by February 2023.
Mrs Oware-Mensah is accused of causing financial loss of more than GH¢31 million to the state.
Among her charges is allegedly causing the NSA to pay GH¢6.95 million as interest on a GH¢31.50 million loan, said to have been improperly authorised for the Blocks of Life
Consult, from which the prosecution claims she benefited.
She is also facing allegations of stealing and laundering GH¢31.50 million by allegedly transferring the funds from the NSA hire-purchase escrow account with the ADB to the Blocks of Life Consult “for the purpose of disguising the illicit origin of the money, knowing it to be proceeds of crime.”
Initial transfer
The witness rejected a suggestion by the defence that ADB had not received a transfer instruction before effecting the first payment under the arrangement.
Explaining the circumstances surrounding the transaction, Mr Serbeh-Yeboah told the court that “The accused was angry with us and we were losing the whole arrangement.”
The witness said the bank subsequently obtained approval for an initial amount of GH¢193,300 after reviewing revenues submitted by the accused.
According to him, the accused later assured the bank that the arrangement would proceed and that a transfer request would be provided for onward transfers.
“The transfer request did not come that same day, it came on the third,” he said.
Blocks of life
Mr Serbeh-Yeboah agreed with defence counsel that all transfers to Blocks of Life Consult Limited were made through the NSA hire purchase account.
He confirmed that GH¢148,841 transferred to Blocks of Life on February 22, 2023 formed part of an earlier disbursement of GH¢193,300 made in favour of the NSA.
The witness also agreed that ADB deducted an upfront commission before the transfer was effected.
Asked how much commission the bank earned on the transaction, he said:
“ADB earned a commission of GH¢44,459, being the 23 per cent commission per the master agreement.”
He further agreed that the commission was earned in line with the facility agreement.
Written instructions
The witness also confirmed that transfers to Blocks of Life were made based on written instructions received from the NSA.
Asked whether he had informed investigators from the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI) that ADB transferred funds to Blocks of Life under written instructions from the accused, he answered:
“Correct.”
Counsel then asked whether the written instruction referred to in his statement to the NIB was Exhibit D before the court.
“My Lady, yes. And there is another instruction.
That is why the word instructions was used,” the witness replied.
Disbursement
The witness further confirmed that by March 3, 2023, ADB had disbursed GH¢6.87 million under the NSA-ADB hire purchase facility.
He identified a March 3, 2023 letter titled “NSS Hire Purchase Facility Repayment Advice” which he co-signed with another bank official, Kate Owusu.
The letter stated that ADB had disbursed GH¢6.87 million under the facility, and that efforts to secure disbursement for the remaining personnel were “well underway and indeed far advanced”.
During the proceedings, the defence tendered caution and statement forms the witness gave to the BNI in March 2025.
The documents were admitted without objection as Exhibits 5 and 5A.
The witness confirmed that investigators informed him that he was being investigated for alleged abetment of crime, causing financial loss to the state, stealing and defrauding by false pretences.
Reading from his caution statement, he said:
“I deny charges against me and I would want to exercise my constitutional right to remain silent.
All other information on the transaction are with the bank.”
He, however, maintained that he had not been personally invited by the BNI.
“The BNI invited the Managing Director of ADB and I accompanied him.
So I don’t have any personal invitation from BNI,” he said.
No complaints
Mr Serbeh-Yeboah also told the court that the NSA had not lodged any official complaint with ADB regarding the hire purchase facility.
He also said he was unaware of any sanctions or adverse findings by ADB against officers who processed the facility.
The case has been adjourned to June 17, 2026, for the continuation of proceedings.
