Adu Boahene, others deny GH¢49.1m cyber fraud charges

Kwabena Adu Boahene, a former Director-General of the National Signals Bureau, his wife Angela Adjei Boateng, former banker Mildred Donkor, and a private firm, Advantage Solutions Limited, have all pleaded not guilty to 11 criminal charges in a high-profile fraud and money laundering case involving GH¢49.1 million in state funds.
They appeared before the Accra High Court on Wednesday after months of investigations into suspicious financial dealings linked to the Bureau of National Communications (BNC) and several private companies connected to the accused.
The case was filed by Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.
The charges include stealing, conspiracy to steal, defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, using public office for profit, obtaining public property by false statements, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit money laundering—all in breach of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044).
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences took place between February and March 2020, during Adu-Boahene’s tenure as Director of the Bureau of National Communications, which was then responsible for overseeing Ghana’s secure communications systems.
He is accused of exploiting his office to sign a fraudulent cybersecurity contract with ISC Holdings Limited, an Israeli technology firm, pegged at US$7 million.
Prosecutors stated that based on this contract, Adu-Boahene orchestrated the disbursement of GH¢49.1 million from the BNC’s official bank account, claiming it was for the purchase of the cybersecurity system.
However, investigations found that none of the funds reached ISC Holdings.
Instead, the money was allegedly redirected to a private company called BNC Communications Bureau Limited—an entity set up and controlled by Adu-Boahene and his wife, with a name nearly identical to the legitimate public agency, designed to mislead.
Three major payments—GH¢27.1 million on February 5, GH¢1 million on March 18, and GH¢21 million on March 30—were all deposited into the private company’s account at a commercial bank.
Prosecutors said Adu-Boahene personally presented the cheques, using the fictitious contract to justify the transfers.
Although Adu-Boahene claimed to have sent US$1.75 million to ISC Holdings as part of the contract, a verification exercise by the National Security Secretariat confirmed that no equipment or services were received.
Further investigations showed the funds were instead used to finance luxury lifestyles, including the purchase of vehicles, real estate in Accra, Kumasi, and London, and investments in businesses such as fertiliser production and executive transport services.
The prosecution maintains that Angela Adjei Boateng played a key role in forming the fake company and managing the flow of illicit funds.
Mildred Donkor, the third accused, who previously served as the couple’s bank relationship officer, is alleged to have helped in moving and handling the stolen money.
All three individuals were arrested between March and April 2025, with Adu-Boahene apprehended at Kotoka International Airport upon returning from London.
His wife was arrested a day later in Accra, while Donkor was picked up on April 8.
The Attorney-General’s office asserts that through Advantage Solutions Limited, the accused established a criminal enterprise to launder public funds under the guise of a national cybersecurity procurement project that never took place.
The court, presided over by Justice Eugene Nyante Nyadu, has adjourned proceedings to Friday, May 2, when it will rule on whether to grant the prosecution’s request to remand Adu-Boahene.
All the accused are currently on bail. They are represented by lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea.