A high-profile corruption saga is unfolding in the Dansoman Court, where the widow of the late John Kumah, former Deputy Minister for Finance under the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is trading accusations against a businessman over millions of Cedis allegedly siphoned by her late husband through government contracts.
The widow of late John sued a businessman, Seth Otupri Ntim, over GH¢14.5 million from two bank accounts belonging to Sontim Group Limited, a construction firm she claimed financially backed by the late Member of Parliament for Ejisu, John Ampontua Kumah.
Ntim is facing two counts of stealing, contrary to Section 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), as amended by NLCD 398 of 1969.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges when he appeared before Her Honour Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit on July 2, 2025 at the Dansoman district court.
Upon a request from his Counsel, the court granted bail to the accused in the sum of GH¢15 million, with three sureties: two must be public servants earning not less than GH¢10,000 per month and the third must justify the bail with title deeds equivalent to the bond.
The court further ordered the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, to refer the case to the Attorney-General’s Office for legal advice, citing the high financial value of the alleged theft, which exceeds the prosecutorial limit of the police prosecutor.
However, according to investigators close to the case, the late deputy minister, who approached his friend, Seth Otupri Ntim (Owner and Director of SONTIM Group Limited), to use his company for government contracts since he (John Kumah) can it do so in his capacity as minister.
The two parties agreed to terms of the agreement and business kicked off.
Unknown to the businessman, Seth Otupri Ntim, John Kumah quietly opened multiple bank accounts in the name of the company (SONTIM Group Limited), without the knowledge or the owner of the company nor the board approval.
John Kumah per information, subsequently formed new Directors of the company, with his wife Apostle Lilian Kumah, his sister and his in-law as directors and signatories.
Those accounts were then used to channel state contracts, secure large loans, and invest in government securities.
However, serving in his capacity as deputy minister and having a foreknowledge of government’s intention to give a haircut, which will affect bonds, he believed the bonds and securities he acquired will lose value, hence use the bonds to secure large loans from banks.
“There were no authorisation letters, no board resolutions, nothing,” a source familiar with the transactions told reporters. “The friend only learned of the accounts after the minister’s death.”
Using his influence, the minister allegedly pressured several banks to accept the accounts he dubiously created and to grant credit facilities backed by the soon to depreciate securities: a tactic financial analysts say, skirts dangerously close to fraud.
The bank discovering that the late deputy finance minister couldn’t service the loans contacted Seth Ntim.
Seth was not aware of the dubious transactions that went on behind him, spearheaded by the late John Kumah, his wife and sister.
According to information, the bank seriously persuaded Seth Ntim to use the bond to service the loan and subsequently close the account, change the signatories so as to prevent John Kumah’s wife and partners from having access to the account.
Sensing danger, days after the deputy finance minister’s death, his widow filed a lawsuit accusing the unsuspecting friend, Seth Otupri Ntim of theft and misappropriation, with claims that Seth Otupri Ntim steals GHC14. 5m from late John Kumah’ account: an account and a company that do not even belong to her husband.
Leveraging her late husband’s political network, she reportedly persuaded law enforcement officers to detain and charge the friend pending trial.
Court documents show the widow also faces counterclaims from other relatives and former business partners who insist she has seized funds that should have been shared or placed in family trusts, demanding a forensic audit of every contract the minister awarded while in office.
Details of this case is now drawing the attention of anti-corruption groups and the Office of the Special Prosecutor as well as EOCO.
Activists argue the case underscores systemic weaknesses in procurement oversight and asset declaration rules for public officials.
“Whether a politician is alive or dead, the law must follow the money,” a civil society advocate said. “Ghanaians deserve to know how state contracts turn into private fortunes.”
Tax liabilities and posthumous audits
Legal analysts note the late minister never declared taxes on the income linked to the contested accounts, opening the door to posthumous tax audits and possible asset seizures.
If wrongdoing is proven, both the estate and any beneficiaries could face substantial penalties.
Larger stakes for public trust
As witnesses prepare to testify, the case is being watched as a barometer of Ghana’s political accountability.
It pits questions of inheritance and marital rights against allegations of abuse of power, and may set fresh precedents on how far the state can reach into a deceased official’s dealings.
For many citizens, the drama offers a stark reminder: even in death, public servants can cast a long—and costly—shadow over the living.
Indeed, until the Court convicts a person, it is wrong by all standards to tag that person with criminality as was done in earlier publications against Seth Otupri.
Meanwhile, this story is not in any way to undermine the trial of the
case in court, but rather to put the records right as published in the Newspaper per information gathered by this paper.
More to follow soon…
