The Accra High Court has granted GH¢10 million bail to Mrs. Gifty Oware-Mensah, former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), following her arraignment on multiple charges linked to alleged financial malfeasance at the institution.
Mrs. Oware-Mensah appeared before the court on Tuesday, October 22, where she was formally charged with five counts, including willfully causing financial loss to the state, stealing, money laundering, and using public office for profit. She pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Her prosecution marks a significant escalation in the government’s efforts to unravel what has become one of Ghana’s largest public payroll scandals in recent years.
The case stems from revelations made during a nationwide verification exercise by the NSA, which uncovered that of the 180,000 names on the national service payroll, only about 98,000 were verified as legitimate. The remaining names—believed to be “ghost personnel”—allegedly resulted in the loss of hundreds of millions of cedis to the state.
While initial estimates placed the financial loss at GH¢653 million, Attorney-General Dr. Dominic Ayine has since disclosed that a forensic audit by the Auditor-General’s Department pegged the figure at GH¢2.2 billion—more than four times the earlier amount.
According to Dr. Ayine, the prosecution will amend the charge sheets to reflect the new findings as investigations progress.
“The magnitude of the fraud uncovered is far greater than initially reported, and further charges will be brought as evidence unfolds,” the Attorney-General said at a press briefing.
The scandal has cast a shadow over the NSA, an agency responsible for coordinating national service placements for Ghanaian graduates. Critics have described the episode as a “systemic failure of payroll integrity and oversight”, calling for sweeping reforms in the management of public payroll systems.
Sources close to the investigation say more arrests and prosecutions are expected, as forensic auditors continue to trace payment trails and identify collaborators within and outside the Authority.
Mrs. Oware-Mensah’s legal team has maintained her innocence, insisting that she acted “within the scope of her duties” and did not personally benefit from any alleged wrongdoing.
The court ordered her to deposit her passport and report periodically to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) while investigations continue. The case has been adjourned to a later date for case management and further disclosures.
