The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has named twelve individuals—comprising top-level administrators, accountants, and re
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has named twelve individuals—comprising top-level administrators, accountants, and regional directors—as suspects in the massive GH¢548 million National Service Scheme (NSS) scandal, with former Deputy Executive Director Gifty Oware-Mensah accused of fraudulently acquiring GH¢30 million through a loan scheme built on ghost names.
The announcement was made during a government press briefing under the “Operation Recover All Loots” (ORAL) campaign, a special anti-corruption drive launched by the Mahama administration to clamp down on the misuse of public funds within state institutions.
At the core of the scandal is a coordinated and sophisticated operation that exploited the NSS’s payroll system, allowing massive sums earmarked for national service personnel to be siphoned off through ghost name entries, falsified documents, and unauthorized loans backed by fake personnel data.
Gifty Oware-Mensah at the Center of the Web
Gifty Oware-Mensah, a prominent figure in the New Patriotic Party and former Acting Executive Director of the rebranded National Service Authority, is alleged to have engineered one of the most egregious aspects of the fraud.
According to the Attorney General, between 2022 and 2024, Oware-Mensah colluded with others to fabricate approximately 10,000 ghost national service personnel names.
These names were then presented as eligible beneficiaries of a hire-purchase scheme, which she used to secure a GH¢30.7 million loan from the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB).
The loan, supposedly for the procurement of household appliances for service personnel, was taken in the name of a shadow company—Blocks of Life Consult—which investigations have found to be unaccredited and falsely represented.
The deal was backed by salary deductions supposedly processed through the NSS payroll system.
“The scheme was a textbook example of internal manipulation. Allowances meant for real personnel were used as collateral for a loan that benefitted only a few insiders,” Dr. Ayine said.
Funds from the loan were funneled into four accounts linked to politically connected individuals and firms:
GH¢22.9 million to AMAECOM, a firm where Oware-Mensah is a director;
GH¢1 million to Scafold, linked to former internal auditor Abraham Bismarck Gaise;
GH¢1.57 million to OTCHEY;
GH¢5.2 million to Aristo Logistics and Trading.
Twelve Faces Behind the NSS Financial Scandal
In addition to Oware-Mensah, the Attorney General listed eleven other suspects believed to have participated directly or indirectly in the scheme. These include:
1. Mustapha Ussif, former NSS Executive Director and ex-Minister for Youth and Sports;
2. Osei Assibey Antwi, former NSS Director General;
3. Kwaku Ohene Gyan, former Deputy Executive Director for Operations;
4. Abraham Bismarck Gaise, former Internal Auditor;
5. Kwaku Adjei, an Accounts Officer;
6. Iddrisu Abubakar, former Head of Accounts;
7. Stephen Kwabena Gyamfi, former Eastern Regional Director;
8. Prince Awuku, District Director;
9. Jacob Yawson, MIS Administrator in the Northern Region;
10. Maxwell Akwesi Ofori-Mintah, said to be the middleman who submitted fake documentation to ADB;
11. Peter Mensah, a lawyer and husband of Gifty Oware-Mensah, who allegedly served as legal counsel for the fraudulent company.
Two additional suspects, believed to be complicit in the financial maneuvering, are under investigation and will be named once conclusive evidence is established.
A Long Trail of Fraud
The NSS scandal was first uncovered in early 2024 following whistleblower complaints and a damning internal audit report that flagged irregular disbursements and inconsistencies in payroll data across several regions.
What began as an inquiry into routine payroll discrepancies snowballed into revelations of a deeply entrenched fraud network that operated over multiple years with near-total impunity.
“Internal controls were systematically weakened or ignored, enabling a few individuals to exploit the system for personal enrichment,” the Attorney General remarked.
Public Outcry and Political Repercussions
The inclusion of politically exposed persons such as Mustapha Ussif and Gifty Oware-Mensah has fueled intense public debate, with civil society groups calling for bipartisan support in prosecuting the case.
“This is a test of our resolve as a nation to deal decisively with corruption,” said Dr. Ayine. “It does not matter who you are or what your political colors may be.”
Ghanaians have taken to social media and radio platforms to express outrage, with many demanding immediate prosecutions and full asset recovery.
Next Steps in the Legal Process
The Attorney General’s office is expected to file multiple charges including conspiracy to defraud the Republic, money laundering, causing financial loss to the state, and falsification of public records.
The suspects are likely to be arraigned before the Financial and Economic Division of the High Court in Accra in the coming days.
The ORAL taskforce has also initiated asset-tracing procedures to locate and freeze properties and accounts believed to have been funded through proceeds of fraud.
The scandal adds to the growing list of financial crimes currently being pursued under ORAL, as the Mahama administration pushes to repair public trust in state institutions.
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