Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that eight individuals implicated in the National Service Scheme (NSS) scandal have approached his office to negotiate plea deals and are prepared to testify against others involved.

A plea bargain in law is an agreement between a defendant and a prosecutor where the defendant pleads guilty to a charge in exchange for certain concessions, such as reduced charges or a lighter sentence. This avoids the need for a full trial

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series, Dr Ayine described this development as a major breakthrough in the ongoing investigations.

“I am happy to announce that eight suspects in this investigation have approached my office for plea negotiation, including three former officers of the National Service Authority,” he revealed. “Some officials have offered to testify against their colleagues, and some vendors and service providers are willing to come clean and testify as prosecution witnesses.”

Dr Ayine emphasised that these individuals are offering firsthand accounts, not hearsay.

“They are not coming to say hearsay. These are people who were involved, and we are in negotiations with them and their lawyers.”

He also noted that the planned filing of charges last week was postponed following the emergence of new evidence involving financial misconduct.

“We stumbled upon evidence of malfeasance involving a Bank of Ghana account into which GH¢189 million had been deposited. Out of this amount, GH¢80 million cannot be traced. We found two cheques bearing the name and account details of the former Director-General, Mr. Osei Assibey, which were used to withdraw nearly GH¢2 million from the said account.”

Dr Ayine explained that charges have been temporarily held back to allow investigators to collect additional documentation from the Bank of Ghana, the Ministry of Finance, and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department.

“In fact, as I speak, the Bank of Ghana has signalled to me that they will deliver the entire bank statement for my attention this morning.”

He stressed that the return of misappropriated funds is non-negotiable in any plea agreement.

“As a precondition, I tell them: you bring back the money that we have calculated that you took. You serve as a prosecution witness. That is the approach we are using.”

Dr Ayine concluded by reaffirming the government’s commitment to accountability and hinted at bipartisan support for the recovery of every cedi misappropriated.

“I am sure the NPP will be very happy for me to insist that 100 per cent be returned to the Attorney General before any deal can be cut.”