The legal troubles of embattled former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, and other officials have deepened as the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) today filed amended charges.
Fresh evidence uncovered by the OSP has warranted the increase in the counts against the accused from 25 to 54.
The case, The Republic v. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid and Nine Others, was called in court this morning, with prosecutors revealing that ongoing investigations have unearthed additional transactions and money trails believed to be linked to the alleged network of extortion, abuse of office, and money laundering.
The Charge Sheet sighted by The High Street Journal indicates that the accused, including NPA’s Chief Executive Mustapha Abdul-Hamid and nine others, are alleged to have extorted hundreds of millions of cedis and thousands of dollars from bulk oil transporters and marketing companies under the guise of official duties.
The funds were allegedly laundered through property purchases, logistics firms, and other business fronts to disguise their illicit origins.
The total sum involved now stands at a staggering GH¢291.57 million and US$332,407, with assets such as fuel stations, trucks, houses, and lands valued at over GH¢100 million already frozen pending trial.
The expansion of the charges suggests the OSP’s investigators may have found a wider web of transactions and potential accomplices than initially thought, strengthening the prosecution’s case.
The accused persons, comprising senior NPA officials and executives of companies such as Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited, and Kings Energy Limited, have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
With the government’s fight against corruption coming under heavy criticism in recent days, the new development may signal a renewed effort to curb the menace.
On the other hand, the new evidence also signals a tougher battle ahead for the defendants as their lawyers face a herculean task of disproving all these charges.
