Former NPA Chief Executive Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid has come out strongly against what his legal team describes as a “pattern of inconsistency” by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in its pursuit of corruption allegations against him.
In a sharply worded statement issued on Thursday, July 17, lawyers for Dr. Abdul-Hamid challenged the credibility and coherence of the OSP’s evolving accusations, accusing the anti-graft body of shifting goalposts in a high-profile investigation that has gripped public attention for months.
The former petroleum regulator, now linked to a GHS280 million extortion and money laundering scheme, was previously accused of embezzling GHS1.3 billion from the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF)—a charge that has since been dropped without explanation, his legal team noted.
“This is not just about numbers; it’s about the integrity of the justice system,” the statement said. “Our client has still not been formally charged nor served with a charge sheet. Yet, his name continues to be paraded in what increasingly appears to be a trial by media.”
According to the OSP’s most recent claim, Dr. Abdul-Hamid allegedly received GHS24 million personally, while the remainder of the GHS280 million was supposedly funneled through intermediaries and three corporate entities. But his legal team flatly rejected these allegations, insisting that he neither orchestrated nor benefited from any unlawful transactions during his tenure.
They also questioned the motivations behind the OSP’s “dramatic pivot” in the case—from initial allegations of massive procurement breaches and embezzlement to the narrower, and less substantiated, claims of extortion.
The legal team further pointed to what they described as “transparent and measurable gains” under Dr. Abdul-Hamid’s leadership at the NPA. They cited the growth of the UPPF from GHS53 million in 2021 to over GHS1.1 billion by 2024 as evidence of prudent financial management, not misconduct.
“This man led a transformation of the UPPF into a robust, transparent mechanism. The numbers speak for themselves,” the statement emphasized.
With a court appearance expected on July 23, the stage is set for what could become one of Ghana’s most watched corruption trials in recent memory. But for now, Dr. Abdul-Hamid’s team is turning the spotlight back on the OSP, demanding not just proof—but accountability for what they allege is a shifting and politicized investigation.
“The truth does not change. If the allegations are strong, why do they keep changing?” the statement concluded.
