State revises NSA case: Alleged financial loss reduced as charges increased
The state has filed an amended charge sheet in the criminal case against the former Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Osei Assibey Antwi, increasing the number of charges against him from 14 to 21.
The charges include stealing, causing financial loss to the Republic, money laundering and improper payment of public funds under the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).
Mr Assibey Antwi pleaded not guilty to all the counts. The amendment was brought to the attention of the court today (March 9, 2026).
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), led by Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa and assisted by Ms Dufie Prempeh and four other state attorneys, informed the court that the Republic had filed an amended charge sheet and sought to substitute the earlier one.
“The Republic has filed an amended charge sheet and we wish to substitute the old one,” the DPP told the court.
The court subsequently directed that the plea of the accused be taken on the amended charge sheet, after which Mr Assibey Antwi pleaded not guilty to all the 21 counts.
Counsel for the accused, Ralph Opoku Adusei, who appeared with Enock Adu Ameyaw and two others, prayed the court to allow his client to continue on the bail conditions earlier granted.
The prosecution indicated that it did not oppose the application.
The court accordingly ordered that the accused should remain on the bail conditions granted on December 11, 2025, and directed the prosecution to file disclosures and witness statements for the case to proceed.
The case has been adjourned to April 13, 2026.
Revised financial loss
The amended charge sheet also revises the amount of money the state claims to have been lost in the alleged scheme.
In the earlier charge sheet filed in 2025, the prosecution alleged that Mr Assibey Antwi authorised payments amounting to GH¢500,861,744.02 to more than 60,000 suspected ghost national service personnel.
However, in the new charge sheet, the alleged loss has been reduced to GH¢431,761,556.76.
The prosecution now contends that the payments were made to “non-service personnel and unverified individuals”, rather than the previously stated ghost names.
Investigations by the National Intelligence Bureau uncovered that 63,672 unverified registrants were entered into the payment system between 2018 and 2024 to receive service allowances or vendor-related payments.
The prosecution maintains that between August 2021 and February 2025, the NSA paid out GH¢431,761,556.76 to persons who either did not undertake national service or whose identities could not be properly verified.
Other allegations
The amended charge sheet also contains allegations that some allowances meant for national service personnel were redirected to an e-zwich card registered in the name of the accused.
Investigators claim that the card received deposits totalling GH¢8,256,000 between 2022 and 2024.
The prosecution said the card was not disclosed during the official handing-over process when Mr Assibey Antwi left office. It is further alleged that he denied knowledge of the card during questioning, but it was later retrieved during a search at his residence.
The prosecution further alleges that some payments were made to vendors under the NSA marketplace arrangement even though the services were not provided.
In some instances, the vendors are said to have returned part of the funds directly to the accused in cash rather than refunding the money to the Authority.
The amended charge sheet also introduces additional allegations relating to the Sekyere-Kumawu Economic Enclave (Farm) Project.
Prosecutors claim that between August 2022 and June 2024, an amount of GH¢106 million was transferred from the NSA Control Account into a project account for the implementation of the initiative.
However, the prosecution argues that the Authority did not receive value for money for some of the contracts awarded under the project, resulting in an estimated loss of GH¢61,289,843.30 to the state.
