A court has dismissed an application seeking to discharge former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, and seven others standing trial for alleged extortion.
The accused persons are facing charges of unlawfully extorting GH¢291.574 million and $332,407.47 from bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies.
At Tuesday’s hearing, lawyers for the accused relied on a recent High Court ruling which held that the Office of the Special Prosecutor lacks independent prosecutorial powers without authorisation from the Attorney General. They argued that, based on that decision, the charges should be struck out and the accused discharged.
However, the application was strongly opposed by Principal Prosecutor Adelaide Kobiri-Woode, who maintained that the OSP’s powers remain valid under existing laws that have not been repealed or nullified.
Presiding judge, Francis Achibonga, rejected the request, noting that multiple legal challenges concerning the OSP’s prosecutorial authority are currently before the courts, including at the Supreme Court.
He subsequently adjourned the case to May 26, pending the outcome of those proceedings.
The legal battle follows an earlier ruling by another High Court, presided over by Eugene Nyante Nyadu, which declared that the OSP cannot independently prosecute cases without prior approval from the Attorney General. That ruling also directed the Attorney General to take over all ongoing OSP prosecutions and ordered a retrial of cases where convictions had already been secured.
The OSP has slapped Dr. Abdul-Hamid, seven individuals, and three companies with 54 counts, including extortion by a public officer, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering.
The individuals include Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) at the NPA; Wendy Newman, an NPA staff member; and directors of Kel Logistics Limited — Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, and Bright Bediako-Mensah. Also charged is Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah, a director of Kings Energy Limited.
The companies named in the suit are Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited, and Kings Energy Limited. Another suspect, Osei Tutu Adjei, remains at large.
According to the OSP, investigations launched in late 2024 uncovered an alleged scheme in which some NPA officials, under the guise of their positions, extorted huge sums of money from industry players between 2022 and December 2024.
Prosecutors further reveal that two of the accused — Albert Ankrah and Isaac Mensah — have entered into agreements with the OSP to testify as prosecution witnesses against their co-accused.
