In a shocking revelation, Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine has accused former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Gifty Oware-Mensah, of masterminding a scheme that misappropriated over GH¢30 million in public funds.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Friday, June 13, Dr. Ayine detailed how Oware-Mensah exploited the National Service Personnel (NSP) allowance system to secure a GH¢30.7 million loan from the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB). The loan, taken at an interest rate of 23%, was allegedly obtained under false pretenses using the allowances as security.
The Attorney General revealed that Oware-Mensah had registered a company, ‘Blocks of Life Consult,’ using stolen identities. Through a middleman, Maxwell Akwesi Ofori-Mintah, she presented the company as a supplier of home appliances on a hire-purchase basis for service personnel, a claim unsupported by NSA records.
Funds from the loan were diverted into four companies:
1. GH¢22.9m to AMAECOM, where Oware-Mensah is a director,
2. GH¢1m to Scafold, linked to Abraham Gaisie,
3. GH¢1.57m to OTCHEY,
4. GH¢5.2m to Aristo Logistics and Trading.
Dr. Ayine also disclosed the use of 9,934 ghost names over two service years to further siphon funds.
“This was a deliberate and sophisticated attempt to loot state resources,” he said, promising legal action against Oware-Mensah and all implicated parties as investigations by the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) task force continue.
This revelation underscores the ongoing challenge of rooting out corruption in Ghana’s public institutions.
