Rice import saga: Issah Seidu, Three Others charged

Issah Seidu, 53 and General Services Manager at the National Insurance Commission and a businessman, has been accused of masterminding a conspiracy with three others to fraudulently misappropriate $204,777 worth of imported rice.

The case, filed on June 12, 2025, at the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), implicates the four in a range of offenses.

These include corruption, abuse of office, conspiracy to steal, and attempted theft. Among the allegations is the use of a forged letter, purportedly from the Office of the Vice President, to facilitate the fraud.

The charges stem from an alleged attempt to unlawfully seize and auction ten 20-foot containers carrying 10,000 bags of Lele rice, which had been legally imported by a Ghanaian businessman.

The Accused and Their Alleged Roles

Issah Seidu, 53, then General Services Manager at the National Insurance Commission, is alleged to be the ringleader behind the operation.

James Keck Osei, 52, served as Director of Administration at the Vice President’s Secretariat.

John Abban, 61, and Peter Archibald Hyde, 61, were both Principal Revenue Officers at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), with Hyde overseeing the State Warehouse in Tema.

According to the OSP, between April and July 2022, the four conspired to unlawfully acquire the rice containers, valued at over $200,000, despite having no ownership rights.

Court documents reveal that in November 2021, a local businessman entered into a contract with Lele Group of Companies in Thailand to import rice under the name Faithy Ventures.

The full payment—$204,777—was made to Suwamaphum Rice Co. Ltd. The shipment arrived at Tema Port in January 2022. However, delays in obtaining the original Bill of Lading hindered the clearing of the goods.

By February 2022, the shipment was listed as Uncleared Cargo by the GRA and transferred to the State Warehouse in Tema.

Prosecutors allege that this is when the accused began manipulating systems to fraudulently take possession of the containers.

Seidu is alleged to have submitted falsified documents, including a forged letter bearing the name of the Office of the Vice President, to request the unlawful release of the rice.

This letter, reportedly authored by Osei, was addressed to the Commissioner of Customs in an attempt to circumvent proper clearance procedures.

Abban and Hyde are accused of recommending and facilitating the auctioning of the rice to Seidu, despite knowing he had no legal claim to it. They also allegedly blocked the legitimate owner from retrieving the containers.

Charges Filed

The accused face a total of twelve counts under Ghana’s Criminal Offenses Act, 1960 (Act 29), including:

Corruption of a public officer (Sections 239 & 239(3))

Using public office for profit (Section 179C)

Attempt to commit stealing (Sections 18(2) & 124(1)

Conspiracy to steal (Sections 23(1) & 124))

Each of the four faces multiple charges, with Seidu facing all twelve counts—marking him as the central figure in the alleged conspiracy.

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