The corruption scandal surrounding the National Service Authority (NSA) has taken a dramatic turn, as former Deputy Executive Director, Gifty Oware-Me
The corruption scandal surrounding the National Service Authority (NSA) has taken a dramatic turn, as former Deputy Executive Director, Gifty Oware-Mensah, has remained in the custody of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) for more than a week after failing to meet stringent bail conditions.
A legal source confirmed that Gifty Oware-Mensah, married to a lawyer, has been detained for the past eight days following her inability to satisfy the GH¢10 million bail requirement imposed by the Accra High Court.
The court ordered that the amount be supported by two sureties justified by landed property, a condition her legal team has struggled to meet.
“If she cannot meet the bail terms by close of today, she’ll spend yet another weekend in custody—and possibly remain there until the case is fully determined,” the lawyer revealed over the weekend.
This latest development adds a new layer to one of the most explosive corruption scandals in recent history. This financial crime allegedly cost the state more than GH¢2.2 billion through a sophisticated network of “ghost names” on the National Service payroll.
From Rising Star To Scandal Figure
Until her arrest, Gifty Oware-Mensah was a celebrated figure within the public service and political circles.
Appointed Deputy Executive Director of the NSA in 2017, she was seen as part of a new generation of administrators promoting digital transformation within the public sector.
However, by late 2024, whispers of widespread fraud within the Authority’s payroll system had reached a fever pitch.
An investigative report exposed how tens of thousands of nonexistent national service personnel were receiving monthly allowances from state funds—payments allegedly approved by top management officials, including Oware-Mensah and her then-boss, Osei-Assibey Antwi, the former Executive Director.
The revelations triggered a chain of official investigations by the Auditor-General, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), and the Attorney-General’s Department.
What began as an estimated GH¢548 million loss ballooned, after forensic audit, into a staggering GH¢2.2 billion, according to Attorney-General Dr. Dominic Ayine.
The Courtroom Drama
Gifty Oware-Mensah was arraigned before the Accra High Court on October 22, 2025, and charged with five counts, including: Willfully causing financial loss to the state; Stealing; Money laundering, and Using public office for profit.
Prosecutors argued that her actions directly contributed to the loss of billions in funds intended for legitimate service personnel.
Her bail—set at GH¢10 million with two sureties justified by immovable property—was granted under the conditions that she surrender her passport and report twice monthly to the police.
But despite the court’s leniency in granting bail, her inability to meet those conditions has left her confined at NIB headquarters.
Sources within the investigative team say her detention has been extended as prosecutors finalize new evidence uncovered during the forensic audit.
Inside The Ghost Names Heist
According to the Auditor-General’s findings, the National Service payroll was heavily manipulated between 2021 and 2025 through the Authority’s Centralised Service Management Platform (CSMP)—a digital system meant to ensure transparency in postings and payments.
Instead, the platform became the breeding ground for one of the most elaborate financial frauds.
Investigators discovered that of the over 180,000 names on the payroll, only about 98,000 were verified as genuine service personnel.
The remaining names—nearly half—were “ghosts,” created to facilitate the diversion of funds into private accounts.
Between August 2021 and February 2024, payments totalling GH¢500 million were made to these fictitious names.
Additionally, auditors found that GH¢106 million allocated to the NSA’s “Kumawu Farm Project” vanished without a trace—with no evidence that the farm ever existed.
Gifty Oware-Mensah is also alleged to have used her private firm, Blocks of Life Consult, to secure a GH¢31.5 million loan from the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) under the pretext of supplying goods to national service personnel. No evidence of such deliveries was found, raising suspicions of money laundering.
Broader Implications And Next Steps
The Office of the Attorney-General has since announced plans to amend the existing charge sheets to reflect the new GH¢2.2 billion figure and to expand investigations to include other senior officials.
Attorney-General Dr. Ayine emphasized that the inflated wage bill was “a product of deliberate and coordinated deception by senior officials,” adding that the state is determined to recover every pesewa lost.
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