Mustapha Hamid and 9 others to face High Court on July 23 over GH₵280m extortion charges

Former Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, and nine others are scheduled to appear before the Criminal Division 3 of the Accra High Court on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, to answer charges related to an alleged GHS280 million extortion and money laundering scandal.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), which has been investigating the matter since early 2025, confirmed in an update that all accused persons are currently on inquiry bail. The appearance marks a significant development in one of Ghana’s most high-profile corruption prosecutions in recent years, centred around alleged financial misconduct within the petroleum regulatory sector.

Alongside Dr Abdul-Hamid, those charged include Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Coordinator of the NPA’s Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) and Managing Director of three implicated companies – Propnest, Kel Logistics, and Kings Energy. Others are Wendy Newman, an NPA staff member; Albert Ankrah and Isaac Mensah, both Directors of Kel Logistics; Bright Bediako-Mensah, Director of both Kel Logistics and Kings Energy; and Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah, a Director of Kings Energy.

The three corporate entities also facing prosecution are Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited, and Kings Energy Limited.

The Special Prosecutor’s charges, which span 25 counts, allege that between 2022 and 2024, the accused conspired to extort GH₵280.51 million from various oil marketing companies under the guise of regulatory obligations. The OSP contends that at least GH₵24 million was received directly by Dr Abdul-Hamid, while GH₵227 million was channelled through Wendy Newman and laundered via the three companies to acquire properties, fuel trucks, and construct fuel stations.

In a swift reaction, Dr Abdul-Hamid’s legal team from Hay & Partners at Law issued a statement on July 17 denying that their client had been officially served with any charge documents. “As at the time of issuing this press statement, our client has not been charged before any court of competent jurisdiction. We are yet to sight any charge sheet,” the statement read.

Describing the accusations as shifting and unsubstantiated, the defence questioned the credibility of the charges, referencing earlier allegations of GHS1.3 billion in embezzled funds that were later revised. They provided financial data purportedly showing that under Abdul-Hamid’s leadership, the UPPF account grew from GH₵53.2 million in 2021 to over GH₵1.14 billion by December 2024, with a turnaround in the Price Differential Margin account from a deficit of GH₵18.4 million to a surplus of GH₵470.6 million.

“Our client served the nation with utmost integrity and competence,” said lead counsel Hanifa Yahaya, who maintained that the charges are politically coloured and ignore Dr Abdul-Hamid’s record of public service.

The legal proceedings are set to test the reach and resilience of Ghana’s anti-corruption institutions, with the OSP facing the burden of proving a wide-ranging and complex financial conspiracy.

As the court date draws near, both the prosecution and defence are bracing for what could be a precedent-setting trial in the fight against corruption in the petroleum sector.