Keypoints:
- $7m cyber fund allegedly diverted
- Private firm linked to ex-NSB director
- Charges part of major graft crackdown
GHANA’S Attorney-General Dr Dominic Ayine has announced charges against a former top national security official accused of diverting millions from a government cybersecurity contract.
Kwabena Adu-Boahene, the former director of the National Signals Bureau (NSB), is facing prosecution for theft, money laundering and fraud in connection with a $7 million internet services deal. His wife, Angela Adjei-Boateng, and two others have also been charged.
‘This case involves the misappropriation of $7 million through a carefully orchestrated scheme that rerouted sta
te funds to private accounts,’ Dr Ayine told journalists during a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday.
He stressed that all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty, but expressed confidence that the prosecution’s case is backed by strong documentary evidence and key witness testimony.
State payments funnelled to private firm
The alleged fraud centres on a contract between Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the Bureau of National Communications (now the NSB), which was meant to provide secured internet services to the utility company.
Under the agreement, GWCL was to pay 650,000 Ghanaian cedis every two weeks—amounting to over 1.3 million cedis a month—for the service. But according to the Attorney-General, instead of depositing payments into the official NSB account, the accused provided the banking details of his privately owned company, BNC Communications Bureau Ltd.
‘Each time a cheque was issued to the official bureau, Mr Adu-Boahene issued a counter-cheque redirecting the funds to his own company,’ Ayine explained.
The total amount misappropriated exceeded 62 million Ghanaian cedis, and none of the promised cybersecurity infrastructure was ever
delivered, according to investigators.
Properties in Ghana and UK traced to fraud
The funds, prosecutors say, were laundered into luxury real estate and vehicles. Investigators have traced the proceeds to properties in Accra, Kumasi and London, alongside a fleet of high-end cars.
Dr Ayine said multiple individuals with insider knowledge have agreed to testify for the prosecution and that the evidence includes bank statements, deposit slips and cheque records.
‘I have seen the docket. The evidence is solid, and several primary witnesses have stepped forward. This is not political theatre. It’s a serious criminal case,’ Ayine said.
Part of ‘Operation Recover All Loot’ crackdown
The case forms part of President John Mahama’s broader anti-corruption campaign dubbed Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), which aims to retrieve stolen public funds and prosecute high-level graft.
Dr Ayine also revealed that more charges are imminent in unrelated investigations, including a $2 million unapproved payment from the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund and ghost-name payroll fraud at the National Service Scheme.
‘This government is committed to transparency and accountability,’ he said. ‘We will prosecute wrongdoing and recover assets for the Ghanaian people.’
Open to plea deals for asset recovery
In a bid to prioritise restitution, the Attorney-General said suspects willing to return stolen assets could be offered plea bargains.
‘Ghanaians don’t just want jail sentences—they want their money back,’ Ayine said. ‘If someone is willing to recover the loot, I am open to negotiating a fair deal.’
He added that recovering stolen wealth is as important as punishing corrupt actors, and that plea deals would be assessed case by case.
Rejects claims of political bias
Dr Ayine used the briefing to reject claims that the prosecution was politically motivated or timed to coincide with changes in judicial leadership.
‘The only thing that determines timing is evidence. We don’t prosecute based on who is chief justice. We prosecute when the case is ready,’ he said.
He also dismissed criticism that the press briefing itself was part of a propaganda campaign, stating: ‘This is about public accountability. The Constitution mandates transparency in public office, and that includes keeping citizens informed.’
