Prosecution yet to serve former NSA Director with hearing notice over GH¢600m scandal

Lawyers for Mr Osei Assibey Antwi, former Executive Director of the National Service Authority have told an Accra High Court that the accused person has not been served with any document to report to court.

Paa Kwesi Kuboadzi, counsel for the accused, said unfortunately for today’s case they were not given any notice.

He said, “I was called about an hour ago to appear in court. That is why I am naked.”

The counsel, who was not properly dressed in the profession’s dress code of black and white with the wig, prayed that the prosecution give the defence ample notice so that they may properly appear in court.

“Again, my client’s reporting schedule requires him to report in Kumasi every Monday apart from the first Monday of the month on which he reports in Accra,” he added.

Mrs. Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who led the prosecution told the court that the charge sheet was filed but “we did not have a hearing date and we also did not know the case had been scheduled for today.”

She said her instructions were that they would file a hearing notice as soon as possible.

She said the prosecution wished to ask that the accused person report to Accra on Monday rather than in Kumasi.

The DPP assured the court that prosecution would serve him with the charges and facts and inform him of when he should be in court for the first hearing.

The court presided over by Justice Justice Kizita Naa Koowa Quarshie ordered the accused person to report at the National Investigation Bureua in Accra on October 20, 2025.

The former Executive Director was charged with 14 counts, including causing financial loss to the State, stealing, and money laundering, in a case involving more than GH¢600 million.

He was accused of authorising the payment of allowances to more than 60,000 non-existent national service personnel, resulting in a loss of GH¢500,861,744.02, and misappropriating public funds during his tenure between August 2021 and February 2025.

Mr. Assibey Antwi is facing multiple counts under sections 179A(1) and 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and section 1(2)(c) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044).

He also faces six counts of stealing, with the prosecution claiming that between August 2023 and May 2024, he dishonestly appropriated various sums of money totalling several million cedis belonging to the National Service Authority.

The alleged thefts include: GH¢3.6 million on August 22, 2023, GH¢516,000 each on September 11, October 26, and November 23, 2023, GH¢1.03 million on December 18, 2023, and GH¢2.06 million on May 14, 2024

The AG further alleged that between January 2022 and December 2024, Mr. Assibey Antwi caused an additional GH¢8.26 million loss to the State by authorising transfers from the NSA’s Control Account to his personal e-zwich card account.

The charge sheet also includes unauthorised withdrawals from the Kumawu Farm Project account, amounting to GH¢74 million, which prosecutors say were not used for their intended purpose.

Specifically, Mr. Assibey Antwi is accused of withdrawing GH¢55 million on September 30, 2022, GH¢15 million on October 20, 2023, and GH¢4 million on January 24, 2024, all allegedly without expending the funds on the project.

His plea is yet to be taken.

Source: GNA

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