The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has filed criminal charges against seven individuals and three companies, including the former CEO of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mustapha Abdul-Hamid.

This is over a sprawling extortion and money laundering scheme involving over GH¢280 million. 

In a statement issued on Thursday, July 17, the OSP detailed the charges, which stem from investigations launched in late 2024 into alleged diversions of public funds within the petroleum sector.

According to the OSP, between 2022 and December 2024, Abdul-Hamid, alongside Jacob Kwamina Amuah—then Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund—and Wendy Newman, an NPA staff member, orchestrated a criminal scheme to extort payments from petroleum transporters and oil marketing companies.

“The scheme… lacked any lawful mandate and exploited their positions within the NPA,” the OSP stated, adding that GH¢280,516,127.19 was unlawfully collected under the guise of regulatory operations.

The statement further disclosed that Amuah directly handed GH¢24 million to Abdul-Hamid, while GH¢227.2 million was channelled through Newman under Amuah’s instruction. 

The remaining accused persons—directors of Kel Logistics, Kings Energy, and Propnest Ltd.—allegedly laundered the illicit proceeds through the acquisition of properties, the construction of fuel stations, and the purchase of oil trucks.

“These companies were created and used to conceal and disguise the origin of criminal proceeds,” the OSP revealed.

In all, the ten accused—comprising seven individuals and three companies—face 25 counts including Extortion by a Public Officer, Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, and Money Laundering, under relevant provisions of the Criminal Offences Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Act. A director of Kel Logistics, Osei Tutu Adjei, is currently on the run. 

The accused persons have been apprehended and are expected to appear before the High Court for their pleas to be taken. The OSP reaffirmed its determination to “prosecute corruption-related offences without fear or favour.”