GH₵280m NPA scandal: Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, 9 others charged with extortion, laundering

Mustapha Abdul-Hamid and nine others are facing criminal charges filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) over their alleged involvement in a GH₵280 million extortion and money laundering scheme perpetrated through the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).

The accused include seven individuals and three corporate entities.

They have been slapped with 25 counts, including extortion by a public officer, conspiracy to extort, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The OSP in a statement Thursday, July 17 disclosed that investigations into the case began in late 2024.

According to the OSP, Dr. Abdul-Hamid, who served as Chief Executive of the NPA and Chairman of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Management Committee, allegedly collaborated with Jacob Kwamina Amuah, the Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF), and NPA staffer Wendy Newman, to extort over GH₵280 million from oil marketing companies (OMCs) and bulk oil transporters between 2022 and 2024.

The OSP claims that Dr. Abdul-Hamid initiated the scheme and enlisted Amuah to lead its execution. Amuah, in turn, recruited Newman as the conduit for receiving and distributing the illicit funds.

It is alleged that Amuah transferred GH₵24 million directly to Dr. Abdul-Hamid within 2024, while GH₵227.2 million was funneled through Newman and disbursed under Amuah’s instruction.

Also charged are Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, and Bright Bediako-Mensah—directors of Kel Logistics and Kings Energy—along with Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah, a director of Kings Energy. These individuals are accused of aiding the top three officials to launder the illicit funds through three companies: Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited, and Kings Energy Limited.

The OSP alleges that these companies were used to conceal the origin of the funds through property acquisitions, construction of filling stations, and purchase of trucks for oil distribution.

A portion of the statement noted, “Between 2022 and December 2024, the first three accused persons-acting under the colour of their official duties allegedly orchestrated and operated a criminal extortion scheme through which they unlawfully collected GHC280,516,127.19 from petroleum transporters and oil marketing companies. The scheme, initiated by Abdul-Hamid and implemented by Amuah and Newman, lacked any lawful mandate and exploited their positions within the NPA.”

One other suspect, Osei Tutu Adjei, a director of Kel Logistics Limited, is currently on the run. His company has also been included in the criminal charges.

All ten accused parties are expected to appear before the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra, where their pleas will be taken on a date yet to be confirmed.

Below is the statement:

Source: www.kumasimail.com

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