Former Deputy NSS Director Charged with Stealing and Causing Financial Loss to the State in Ghost Names Scandal
Gifty Oware-Mensah, the former Deputy Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), has been formally arraigned and has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including stealing and willfully causing financial loss to the state. The charges relate to her alleged involvement in a massive "ghost names" scandal at the NSA, which investigators claim cost the state approximately {GH₵38.45 million}.
Mrs. Oware-Mensah appeared before the High Court, where the Attorney-General (A-G) levied a total of five criminal counts against her, including the serious offense of money laundering. Following her plea, the court granted her bail set at a substantial {GH₵10 million}, with conditions aimed at ensuring her cooperation throughout the judicial process.
The Allegations: $\text{9,934}$ Fictitious Names and Fraudulent Loans
The core of the prosecution’s case revolves around the alleged manipulation of the NSA's internal database. The A-G’s charge sheet asserts that Mrs. Oware-Mensah was instrumental in creating 9,934 fictitious names within the NSA system.
Furthermore, it is alleged that she utilized her private company, Blocks of Life Consult, to secure a {GH₵31.5 million} loan from the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB). The basis for this loan was reportedly the fraudulent claim that her company had supplied goods on a hire-purchase basis to thousands of National Service personnel.
Investigators, however, determined that these names were entirely fictitious and that no goods were ever supplied to the purported service personnel. Funds disbursed through the loan were reportedly paid directly into her company's account and subsequently transferred to other firms linked to her.
The combined effect of these alleged fraudulent activities resulted in an overall financial loss to the state amounting to precisely {GH₵38,458,248.87}.
Court Proceedings and Bail Conditions
The court proceedings on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, moved forward following a brief delay related to the accused’s absence at an earlier sitting on October 17. The presiding judge, Justice Audrey Kocuvi-Tay, had previously expressed displeasure regarding the accused’s failure to appear, despite her lawyer presenting a medical report.
Upon her appearance and pleading not guilty to all charges, the court set the stringent {GH₵10 million} bail with specific conditions, including the requirement of sureties. These conditions are standard procedure designed to ensure the defendant attends all subsequent court dates as the case progresses. The prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecution, is committed to presenting a full case to establish the gravity of the financial loss caused to the state.
Context: The Broad NSA Corruption Scandal
This case against Mrs. Oware-Mensah is one component of a much wider financial scandal that initially came to light earlier this year following media exposés detailing widespread corruption at the NSA.
The initial investigation revealed the massive padding of the NSA's database with ghost names and the manipulation of the posting schemes. This elaborate scheme allowed officials to disburse millions of Ghana Cedis in allowances to service personnel who existed only on paper. The scandal raised critical questions concerning value-for-money, data security, and the institutional integrity of the Centralised Service Management Platform (CSMP), also known as the Metric App, used to manage personnel and payments.
The Attorney-General's subsequent investigation confirmed these extensive financial irregularities, revealing that top executives at the NSA, allegedly in collaboration with private-sector vendors, mismanaged an astronomical amount exceeding {GH₵548 million} through fraudulent entries and false claims. The ongoing trial of Mrs. Oware-Mensah represents a key step in the government's efforts to seek accountability for the significant financial losses incurred by the state.