The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has filed multiple charges of extortion and money laundering against seven individuals and three companies over a sweeping corruption scheme allegedly perpetrated within the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).

The accused, including a former Chief Executive Officer of the NPA and other high-ranking officials, are alleged to have unlawfully diverted public funds and exploited their official positions to extort huge sums from petroleum transporters and oil marketing companies between 2022 and 2024.

The individuals charged are:

Mustapha Abdul-Hamid – Former CEO of the NPA

Jacob Kwamina Amuah – Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) at NPA and Managing Director of Propnest, Kel Logistics, and Kings Energy

Wendy Newman – NPA staff

Albert Ankrah – Director, Kel Logistics Limited

Isaac Mensah – Director, Kel Logistics Limited

Bright Bediako-Mensah – Director, Kel Logistics and Kings Energy Limited

Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah – Director, Kings Energy Limited

The three charged companies are:

Propnest Limited

Kel Logistics Limited

Kings Energy Limited

According to the OSP, investigations launched in late 2024 uncovered a sprawling extortion network orchestrated by Abdul-Hamid, Amuah, and Newman under the guise of official duties.

The trio allegedly spearheaded an illegal scheme that siphoned GHC280,516,127.19 from companies in the petroleum sector.

The OSP notes that the scheme had no legal backing and was executed in collusion with directors of the implicated companies, raising serious concerns about abuse of office and systemic corruption within the petroleum regulatory framework.

The accused have been arraigned before the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra as the OSP continues its broader efforts to root out corruption and restore accountability within public institutions.