A former senior official of Ghana’s National Service Authority (NSA), Gifty Oware Mensah, has pleaded not guilty to charges of embezzling over GH¢38 million (£2.5m; $3m) in public funds.
Appearing before the Accra High Court on Wednesday, Mrs Oware Mensah was charged with five counts, including willfully causing financial loss to the state, stealing, money laundering, and abusing her office for personal gain.
Prosecutors allege that she orchestrated a payroll fraud scheme involving nearly 10,000 fictitious national service personnel during her tenure as Deputy Executive Director of the NSA. The salaries and allowances for these so-called “ghost names” were allegedly siphoned off over an extended period.
Authorities say the scheme resulted in a financial loss of more than GH¢38 million to the state.
Anti-corruption drive
The case is part of a broader anti-corruption campaign by Ghanaian authorities targeting payroll fraud and mismanagement within public institutions.
Mrs Oware Mensah’s lawyer, Nanabayin Ackon, told the court that his client is a responsible public servant with a fixed address and had fully cooperated with investigators. He argued that she posed no flight risk and would not interfere with the ongoing proceedings.
The court granted her bail set at GH¢10 million, with three sureties—two of whom must be justified. As part of the bail conditions, she must surrender all passports and report to the police twice a month.
The case has been adjourned to 18 November for case management, with the prosecution expected to submit all witness statements and supporting documents before the next hearing.
