Twelve former and current National Service Authority officials will be prosecuted for their alleged roles in a GH¢548 million ghost worker scheme, Attorney General Dominic Ayine announced on June 13, 2025.
The charges follow a comprehensive investigation by the Attorney General’s office and the National Intelligence Bureau into fraudulent payments made to non-existent service personnel over several years.
“The evidence clearly shows these individuals systematically facilitated and concealed this massive payroll fraud,” Ayine stated during an Accra press briefing. Among those named are former Executive Director Mustapha Ussif, former Director-General Osei Assibey Antwi, and several regional directors and financial officers. Two additional suspects remain unnamed pending formal charges.
This case represents one of Ghana’s most significant corruption prosecutions in recent years, targeting senior officials at an institution responsible for managing the country’s national service program. The NSA has faced repeated scrutiny over payroll irregularities, with previous audits revealing similar but smaller-scale discrepancies.
The prosecution comes amid heightened anti-corruption efforts by Ghana’s government, which has pledged to recover stolen public funds and strengthen financial oversight mechanisms. Legal experts suggest the case’s outcome could set important precedents for holding public officials accountable for financial malfeasance.
Ghana’s anti-graft institutions have secured several high-profile convictions since 2022, though critics argue the justice system needs further reforms to handle complex financial crimes effectively. The NSA scandal will test both the judiciary’s capacity and the government’s commitment to combating systemic corruption.
