Ghana's Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is preparing to prosecute former National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Chief Executive Mustapha Hamid and several co-accused, using bank statements, mobile money transaction histories, and hundreds of supporting documents as evidence. The case centres on allegations that Hamid and others connected to the NPA extorted large sums from bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies while posing as agents carrying out official duties.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged offences add up to roughly GH¢291 million and more than US$300,000, making it one of the larger financial crime cases currently before Ghana's anti-corruption office. The accused face charges that include large-scale extortion, abuse of public office, and money laundering. Prosecutors allege that proceeds from the extortion scheme were funnelled through property purchases and business entities in an effort to disguise their origin.
A digital paper trail of bank and mobile money account records, along with their associated transactions, will be presented as evidence to prove the allegations. Hundreds of documents are also expected to be tendered as evidence. The reliance on electronic financial records reflects a broader shift in how Ghanaian prosecutors are pursuing corruption cases, using digital transaction histories to trace money as it moves between individuals, companies, and property purchases.
The prosecution of Hamid and his co-accused has drawn scrutiny from civil society groups watching how investigative agencies handle high-profile corruption cases. Last month, pressure group OccupyGhana accused the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) of turning probes into punishment, raising broader concerns about due process in corruption investigations across state agencies.
The OSP's case against Hamid is separate from those agencies but unfolds against that same backdrop of public attention on how Ghana's anti-graft institutions build and present their cases. Bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies are central to how fuel reaches pumps across Ghana. If the allegations of extortion running into hundreds of millions of cedis are proven, it would point to costs potentially passed down the fuel supply chain.
The case also tests the capacity of the OSP — established to investigate and prosecute corruption involving public officials — to secure convictions using financial records rather than relying solely on witness testimony. The OSP operates separately from the Attorney-General's department and other law enforcement bodies, though all three are sometimes involved in overlapping corruption investigations in Ghana.
No timeline for when the bank and mobile money evidence will be formally presented in court has been given. The Office of the Special Prosecutor is an independent Ghanaian institution established to investigate and prosecute cases of suspected corruption and corruption-related offences involving public officials and private individuals.
Key points
- The OSP will rely on bank and mobile money records to prosecute former NPA boss Mustapha Hamid and others for alleged extortion.
