Keypoints:
- Petition targets Ghana’s former vice president
- Alleged illicit enrichment and funding breaches
- Over 300 pickups questioned
GHANA’S Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has been petitioned to investigate former vice president Dr Mahamudu Bawumia over alleged illicit enrichment and possible breaches of political financing laws linked to the New Patriotic Party’s 2024 campaign. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) — now Ghana’s main opposition after a heavy defeat in the December 2024 general elections — benefited from more than 300 pickup trucks that Dr Bawumia publicly claimed to have procured for the party’s nationwide operations.
The petition was filed by Solomon Owusu, spokesperson for Movement for Change, alongside two co-petitioners. Speaking to JoyFM in Accra, Owusu said the scale of the declared donations raises ‘reasonable suspicion’ about the source and legality of funds and warrants a full probe by the OSP.
‘Extraordinary resources’ require scrutiny
Owusu told JoyFM that the reported vehicle purchases — which he estimated could run into tens of millions of US dollars based on typical unit prices — indicate access to ‘extraordinary financial resources’ that should be verified for both origin and legitimacy. He stressed that the petition does not presume guilt, but seeks transparency from a politically exposed person who served as vice president and later as the NPP’s 2024 presidential candidate.
According to Owusu, the petition argues that such large-scale financing may create risks of conflict of interest, abuse of influence, or diversion of public resources. He added that the filing cites Ghana’s Political Parties Act, Anti-Money Laundering Act and disclosure obligations in the national legal framework as grounds for an investigation.
What the petition wants the OSP to do
The petition urges the OSP to open a formal inquiry into the origin of funds used to procure the 300-plus pickups and to finance related campaign activities. It also calls for a comprehensive forensic audit to determine the total costs, financing arrangements and payment channels; a sworn declaration from Dr Bawumia detailing lawful sources of funds; and publication of the OSP’s audit findings to promote transparency and public accountability. The petitioners further request an audit of fundraising activities led by or associated with Dr Bawumia to check compliance with the Political Parties Act.
Bawumia camp says fundraising is routine
Responding on JoyFM, a spokesperson for Dr Bawumia’s campaign team said they had not yet seen the petition but would cooperate with any lawful process. He maintained that political campaigns routinely mobilise resources through individual contributions, fundraising dinners, short codes and supporter networks, and argued that there was ‘nothing extraordinary’ about raising assets at scale during an election season.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor — set up to investigate and prosecute high-level corruption — has not publicly stated whether it will commence a formal investigation. Movement for Change said additional petitions concerning campaign finance across the political spectrum may follow, framing their push as part of a broader effort to strengthen accountability in Ghana’s democracy.
