The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has charged the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, and nine others at the High Court (Criminal Division), Accra, for allegedly extorting GH¢280 million from oil marketing companies.
According to the OSP, the alleged criminality was perpetrated by seven individuals and three companies.
All the seven accused and three companies are facing a total of 25 counts, including extortion by a Public Officer, contrary to Section 151 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), conspiracy to commit money laundering, contrary to Section 23 of Act 29 and Sections 1 (1), 1 (2), and 4 of the anti-money laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044), money laundering, contrary to Sections 1(1), 1(2), and 4 of Act 1044.
One Osei Tutu Adjei, a Director of the ninth accused company, is currently at large.
They are Jacob Kwamina Amuah – Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) at the NPA and Managing Director of three corporate entities-Propnest, Kel Logistics and Kings Energy, Wendy Newman – NPA staff, and Albert Ankrah – Director, Kel Logistics Limited.
Others are Isaac Mensah – Director, Kel Logistics Limited, Bright Bediako-Mensah – Director, Kel Logistics and Kings Energy Limited, Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah – Director, Kings Energy Limited, Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited and Kings Energy Limited.
The OSP revealed that investigations into the matter was initiated by the OSP in late 2024 into alleged unlawful conduct involving the diversion of public funds and collusion with oil marketing and bulk distribution companies.
Samuel Appiah Darko, Director-Strategy, Research and Communication, noted that between 2022 and December 2024, the accused acting under the colour of their official duties—allegedly orchestrated and operated a criminal extortion scheme through which they unlawfully collected GH¢280,516,127.19 from petroleum transporters and oil marketing companies.
He said the scheme, initiated by Abdul-Hamid and implemented by Amuah and Newman, lacked any lawful mandate and exploited their positions within the NPA
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
