OSP uncovers GH¢280m NPA scandal

The OSP has revealed that it is wrapping up a probe into a massive corruption scheme at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), which has uncovered illicit proceeds totalling over GH¢280 million.

Investigations launched in November 2024 found that between 2022 and 2024, some high-ranking officials of the NPA exploited their regulatory powers over the downstream petroleum sector to extort large sums of money from oil marketing companies (OMCs).

In a press conference in Accra last Monday, the Special Prosecutor (SP), Kissi Agyebeng, alleged that those officials used threats, bribery, coercion and regulatory intimidation to enrich themselves unlawfully.

Criminal charges

The corrupt gains, the SP said, were used to purchase luxury apartments and homes in the country and abroad, 22 fuel haulage trucks, and set up or acquire oil marketing companies that competed directly with the businesses they regulated.

“Through careful tracing and trailing of funds, we have uncovered GH¢280,516,127.19 in proceeds of crime,” the SP disclosed.

He said criminal charges would be filed against the first group of NPA officials, complicit oil marketing companies and their representatives before the end of this month.

Once charges were filed, he said, the OSP would release a detailed account of each individual’s role, assets acquired and recoveries made.

Reopening of Cecilia Dapaah’s case

Meanwhile, the OSP has returned the investigative docket involving former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for the second time, following a request from EOCO’s new leadership to commence a fresh review and investigation into suspected money laundering and financial structuring linked to the former minister and her associates.

The OSP, in July 2023, began investigating suspected corruption and corruption-related offences after large amounts of money and valuable items were discovered in Ms Dapaah’s possession.

After nearly seven months of joint investigations by the OSP and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), no immediate evidence of corruption was found in the seized funds or frozen accounts.

However, both agencies identified strong indications of possible money laundering and financial structuring — issues that fall outside the direct investigative mandate of the OSP.

As such, in January 2024, the OSP referred the case to EOCO, which has jurisdiction over financial crimes such as money laundering.

But in May 2024, EOCO returned the docket, citing the absence of a “predicate offence” as required under Ghana’s anti-money laundering framework.

EOCO argued that it could not proceed since money laundering must be tied to an underlying offence, which had not been established in this instance.

New request

At a press conference held on May 14, 2025, Mr Agyebeng said EOCO’s new leadership requested the OSP to resubmit the docket for a fresh review.

He said the office obliged and, under a cover letter dated May 29, forwarded a duplicate of the original docket.

He was hopeful that the materials in the docket provided a valuable foundation for EOCO to begin its investigation and pledged the OSP’s full cooperation in the review process.

Illegal mining case

In a separate development, Mr Agyebeng said the OSP had filed criminal charges against the former Secretary of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Charles Bissue, and Andy Thomas Owusu.

The two, he said, had been charged with 15 counts of corruption and related offences linked to their roles in illegal mining operations.

Mr Agyebeng said the second accused, Andy Owusu, had since reached a plea bargain agreement with the OSP, which had been submitted to the courts for approval.

Mr Agyebeng said the agreement was accepted based on several factors, including Mr Owusu’s history, level of cooperation, the strength of the case, potential impact on witnesses and the need to avoid prolonged litigation.

The OSP said the agreement included restitution and reparations to the country and is expected to be finalised in the coming days.