The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has announced that the State will file charges against 12 suspects in the National Service Scheme (NSS) scandal by the first week of July.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra, he confirmed that investigations into the scandal had been concluded.
Dr. Ayine said the charges included stealing, conspiracy to steal, willfully causing financial loss, using public office for profit, obtaining public property, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering.
He revealed that the State had lost GHC548 million in the scandal.
Dr. Ayine listed those to be charged including Osei Assibey Antwi, former deputy NSA Executive Director; Gifty Oware-Mensah, former deputy Executive Director; Kweku Ohene Gyan, former executive director in charge of operations; Abraham Bismark Gaise, Head of deployment; and Eric Nyarko, former head of Accounts.
The others are Albert Oteng Owusu, former Internal Auditor; Kweku Dekyi-Adjei, an Accounts Officer; Stephen Kwabena Gyamfi, Koforidua Municipal Director; Prince Agbofa Awuku, a District Director; and Jacob Yawson, Management Information Systems Administrator in the Northern Regional Office.
Dr Ayine also indicated that charges will be filed against vendors on the Central Management System marketplace of NSA in the Eastern, Greater Accra, and Ashanti Regions.
They include Peter Mensah, a legal practitioner and husband of Gifty Oware-Mensah, Sylvia Ntriwa Opare, the owner of Sylosona Ventures, Haruna Mawulaya, the owner of Alfayda Enterprise, Solomon Dwamena, the owner of Alfarita Ventures, and Kweku Opare Agbofa, the owner of Franlisa Ventures.
The rest are Rose Hamilton, owner of marine ventures, Philomina Arthur, the owner of Brainwave Ventures, Charles Ohemeng, owner of CHOCHEC ventures and Isaac Osae Asamani, owner of Stalwart/ Options Buy Ventures.
Dr Ayine explained that the State had opted for Non-Prosecution Agreements (NPAs) with some vendors who had agreed to provide compelling testimonies as witnesses for the prosecution.
“In this regard, we have agreed not to disclose their names in this press briefing,” he stated.
As part of Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), Dr Ayine ordered comprehensive investigations into assets owned by the suspects.
“We shall be pursuing the suspects to retrieve funds attributable to them and assets they have acquired using those funds,” he said.
