Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, has accused a former official of the National Service Authority (NSA) of orchestrating a fraudulent scheme that led to the misappropriation of over GH¢30 million in public funds.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Friday, Dr Ayine said Gifty Oware-Mensah, the former Acting Executive Director of the NSA, used allowances meant for National Service Personnel as collateral to secure a GH¢30.7 million loan from the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), at an interest rate of 23%.
“She created and executed a detailed plan, using service allowances as security to obtain the loan,” Dr Ayine said.
According to investigators, Ms Oware-Mensah established a company called Blocks of Life Consult using the identities of individuals without their knowledge. The company was presented to the bank through an intermediary, Maxwell Akwesi Ofori-Mintah. Her husband, Peter Mensah, a lawyer, was listed as a representative of the company.
She claimed the firm supplied home appliances to service personnel on a hire-purchase basis, with repayments to be deducted directly through the NSA. However, the company was not an approved vendor of the Authority.
The Deputy Attorney General also revealed that between the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 service years, nearly 10,000 fake names were added to the service payroll to divert funds.
Following the disbursement of the loan, the money was allegedly channelled into four companies:
- GH¢22.9 million to AMAECOM, where Ms Oware-Mensah is reportedly a director
- GH¢1 million to Scafold, linked to Abraham Gaisie
- GH¢1.57 million to OTCHEY
- GH¢5.2 million to Aristo Logistics and Trading
Dr Ayine described the scheme as “a deliberate and sophisticated attempt to loot state resources,” and said further legal action would follow as investigations continue.
Ms Oware-Mensah has not publicly responded to the allegations. The NSA and ADB have also not issued official statements.
The case is part of a wider government crackdown on corruption under the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) task force.
Source:TheDotNews