NSS Scandal: Gifty Oware, Osei Assibey,10 others to be charged for stealing GH¢548 million

Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has publicly identified Gifty Oware-Mensah, former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA) and current Executive Council member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), as a major suspect in an explosive GH₵548 million fraud scandal that has rocked the NSA.

Addressing journalists on Friday, June 13, 2025, Dr. Ayine laid bare the findings of the ongoing Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) probe, which has uncovered a web of deceit, corruption, and systemic abuse at the highest levels of the NSA.

According to the Attorney General, Oware-Mensah masterminded a sophisticated financial scam, fraudulently acquiring a GH₵30.6 million loan from the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) under the guise of supplying appliances to national service personnel. But instead of serving the intended beneficiaries, the funds vanished into personal and corporate accounts controlled by the accused.

"Suspect Gifty Oware-Mensah used 9,934 ghost names to misappropriate these funds," Dr. Ayine disclosed. "She transferred Gh₵22.9 million to AMAECOM, a company she directs, and additional sums to entities linked to other suspects."

Investigations revealed that Oware-Mensah secretly incorporated Blocks of Life Consult, naming her husband, lawyer Peter Mensah, and others as directors—without their knowledge. That company was then used to channel funds under false pretenses.

The elaborate scheme, first brought to public attention by investigative journalism house The Fourth Estate, involved bloated procurement contracts, fake payroll figures, and the deliberate creation of ghost names to siphon money.

Between 2018 and 2024, the state hemorrhaged GH₵548 million, with a staggering GH₵350 million disappearing in just the 2022/2023 service year alone.

Oware-Mensah is one of 12 high-ranking NSA officials and eight collaborating vendors now facing prosecution for a raft of charges, including stealing, money laundering, and willfully causing financial loss to the state. Dr. Ayine also confirmed that some vendors have agreed to testify under non-prosecution deals.

“These acts undermine the NSA's mission of fostering patriotism and discipline,” he declared, promising swift recovery of stolen assets and justice for the Ghanaian people.