The Office of the Special Prosecutor has filed criminal charges against four senior public officials in connection with an elaborate fraud scheme involving a shipment of 10,000 bags of Lèle rice, valued at US $204,777, imported by Fairby Ventures. Filed documents reveal a network of forged documents, procedural abuse, and collusion across multiple government agencies.
Mastermind and Key Conspirators
At the heart of the case is Issah Seidu, General Services Manager at the National Insurance Commission, allegedly the architect of the plan executed between April and July 2022. Seidu is accused of partnering with James Keck Osei, who at the time served as Director of Administration at the Vice President’s Secretariat.
In a revealing admission, Osei “admitted that he wrote and signed the said letter without the knowledge, consent and authorization of the Vice President”, which was used to improperly release the rice shipment.
Two senior officials from the Ghana Revenue Authority are also implicated. Court records charge that Peter Archibold Hyde “failed to verify the authenticity of the uncertified Bill of Lading presented by the first accused person, Issah Seidu… and ignored proper procedure and caution and recommended that the ten (10) containers of Lèle rice should be auctioned to the first accused person”. His alleged actions enabled the fraudulent acquisition, despite full duty payments by the rightful importer.
Legal Battle and High Court Vindication
Fairby Ventures had legally imported the rice from Thailand in January 2022 and paid duties totaling GHC 273,016.80 under its Tax Identification Number. In civil proceedings preceding the criminal case, the High Court ruled decisively: “the containers of rice in question were imported from Thailand to Ghana by the complainant and that ownership was vested in the complainant and not the first accused person”. This judgment reaffirmed Fairby Ventures’ legal ownership and provided critical evidence for the current prosecution.
Evidence and Charges
The offense under scrutiny spans twelve counts, including corruption, conspiracy to steal, and the misuse of public office for personal gain, all under Ghana’s Criminal Offenses Act.
Central to the prosecution’s argument is a recurring phrasing in the charge sheet: the accused “knew or ought reasonably to have known that [they] had no claim of right over the said containers of Lèle rice.” This wording is repeated across multiple counts involving Issah Seidu and co-defendants, signaling the state’s confidence in the evidence trail.
