Keypoints:
- Ex-NPA boss, others charged in $28m scheme
- Funds allegedly laundered via shell firms
- Mahama’s anti-graft campaign intensifies
GHANA’S anti-corruption agency has filed sweeping criminal charges against a former petroleum regulator and six others in a case involving the alleged misappropriation and laundering of over $28 million.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) announced on Thursday that it has slapped 25 charges on Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), along with three companies and six associates. The charges range from money laundering to extortion by a public officer.
This action forms part of President John Mahama’s aggressive anti-graft campaign launched in early 2025, aimed at recovering stolen public funds and rebuilding trust in state institutions.
OSP links scheme to ex-NPA head
According to the OSP, the alleged offences occurred between 2022 and December 2024 and centre on what it called a ‘sprawling corruption scheme’ initiated by Abdul-Hamid while he headed the NPA.
The former regulator is accused of personally receiving $2.3 million in illicit payments and playing a central role in an elaborate extortion network that siphoned funds from oil marketing firms and transporters.
Dr Abdul-Hamid has denied all wrongdoing. In a statement to AFP, he said: ‘I have never taken a bribe or been part of any illicit scheme during my time at the NPA. I am willing to cooperate with the state to clear my name in court.’
Shell companies and fuel station assets
The OSP identified Jacob Kwamina Amuah, a former coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund, and Wendy Newman, an NPA staff member, as key co-conspirators. They are accused of collecting unlawful payments and laundering the proceeds through multiple front companies.
Three entities – Propnest Ltd., Kel Logistics Ltd., and Kings Energy Ltd. – were allegedly used to funnel the funds into real estate and fuel infrastructure. Investigators say the monies were used to buy homes, acquire fuel distribution trucks, and construct petrol stations.
One of the directors of Kel Logistics Ltd. is currently at large.
Mahama’s credibility under scrutiny
President Mahama, who returned to office in January 2025, has made anti-corruption a cornerstone of his new administration. His government has pledged to prosecute all wrongdoing and retrieve embezzled public assets, regardless of the political affiliations of those involved.
‘Mahama’s credibility depends on how even-handed these prosecutions are. Ghanaians are watching whether this is genuine reform or a political purge in disguise,’ said Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, a political analyst at the University of Ghana.
Since Mahama launched the initiative, dozens have been arrested or charged, and a wide net of investigations is underway across multiple ministries and public agencies.
The high-profile petroleum sector case signals that the president’s campaign is now targeting influential figures once thought untouchable.
