Deputy General Secretary of the United Party (UP) and Political Assistant to Alan Kyeremateng, Nana Yaw Sarpong, has urged a comprehensive investigation into the scandal of charges filed by the Office of the Attorney-General against two former top directors of the National Service Authority (NSA).

The duo has been charged with allegedly defrauding the country of about GH¢653 million.

The former Executive Director, Osei Assibey Antwi, and former Deputy Executive Director, Gifty Oware-Mensah, face allegations of masterminding schemes involving “ghost” service personnel and fraudulent bank loans, according to court documents filed at the High Court in Accra.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, Nana Yaw Sarpong stressed the need for a thorough audit of all accounts related to the individuals involved.

“They should audit every single account of these individuals involved, and trace all financial transactions,” he stated.

• Read also: Osei Assibey, Gifty Oware charged in GH¢653m NSA ‘Ghost names’ and fraud scandal

Highlighting concerns about the scale and time frame of the alleged fraud, Sarpong questioned, “Looking at the persons involved, do you think they can spend this GH¢653 million and the time frame within which this crime was committed?”

He also referred to evidence presented by the parliamentary select committee, noting that public funds increased dramatically in the period leading up to the elections.

“If you look at the data that was presented, the ones we got from the select committee of parliament between the end of 2023 to the election year, the monies quadrupled. Where did it go? These are questions that need to be answered,” he noted.

Sarpong further warned that the two individuals are unlikely to have acted alone. “These persons didn’t commit this crime alone, by now, their assets should be frozen. And we need to take this seriously.”

He warned that without serious commitment, the country risks perpetuating corruption under the illusion of fighting it.

“If we are not careful as a nation, we will continue to swim in corruption and think we are fighting it,” he concluded.