The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is set to press criminal charges against high-ranking officials of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) over an alleged corrupt scheme involving more than GH¢280 million. The OSP will file the charges before the end of June.
The alleged offences occurred between 2022 and 2024, following months of investigation into the operations of the NPA. In February 2025, the OSP announced a probe into former NPA Chief Executive Mustapha Abdul-Hamid over the suspected embezzlement of GH¢1.3 billion from the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF). The investigation also targeted three other officials: Jacob Amuah, UPPF Coordinator; Freda Tandoh; and Wendy Ashong Newman.
At a press conference on Monday, June 2, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng confirmed that criminal charges would be filed against four senior officials of the NPA. Although he withheld names, he noted that investigations launched in November 2024 had uncovered widespread abuse of public office.
According to the OSP, officials at the NPA orchestrated a scheme using intimidation, bribery, regulatory pressure, and coercion to extract payments from oil marketing companies and other regulated entities. The illicit activities were reportedly carried out under the guise of licensing, monitoring, and regulatory duties in the petroleum downstream sector.
By tracing financial transactions, the OSP uncovered GH¢280,516,127.19, which is believed to be the proceeds from the scheme. Investigators found that part of this money was used to acquire properties in Ghana and abroad, including apartments, suites, and houses. Some funds were used to purchase 22 fuel haulage trucks, while others helped set up or acquire oil marketing companies. These new businesses then directly competed with the very firms the NPA officials were tasked with regulating.
The OSP said that the first round of charges would target both individual perpetrators and complicit companies. Once charges are filed, a full public briefing will follow, detailing the roles of each accused person, the assets acquired, and any recoveries made.
