Former CEO, wife, accomplices face 25 charges in GH¢78.2m Buffer Stock scandal

The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has announced that the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab, and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, will face prosecution for their alleged involvement in a massive corruption scandal that siphoned GH¢78.2 million from state funds.

The two, along with several NAFCO officials, are set to be charged with multiple offences, including stealing, conspiracy to steal, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, abuse of public office for profit, and money laundering.

Dr Ayine, who has dubbed the case “Rumble in the Jungle,” said the scheme involved diverting funds meant for the School Feeding Programme through a complex web of shell companies, leaving suppliers unpaid and depriving thousands of schoolchildren of essential meals.

Updates on ORAL Committee Investigations

Speaking at a press briefing at the Jubilee House, the Attorney-General also provided detailed updates on ongoing corruption cases arising from the ORAL Committee report.

He disclosed that the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) had completed investigations into 12 major cases, including the SkyTrain project, the National Service Authority (NSA) ghost names scandal, the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) case, and the Pwalugu Dam matter.

According to Dr Ayine, a forensic audit by the Auditor-General revealed that the financial loss in the NSA scandal had ballooned from GH¢548 million to GH¢2.2 billion.

“Prosecutions have commenced in the SkyTrain and National Service scandals,” he said, adding that “about 10 cases will ultimately be filed in the NSA scandal.”

He noted that investigations were ongoing in other high-profile cases, including those related to the African Games, Mathematical Sets, the Bank of Ghana Head Office project, stadia renovations, and the National Cathedral.

How the Buffer Stock Scandal Unfolded

Giving a detailed account of the “Rumble in the Jungle” case, Dr Ayine explained that between 2017 and 2024, Mr Abdul-Wahab and his wife allegedly conspired with key NAFCO officials to embezzle GH¢78.269 million.

The couple allegedly used seven companies — Alqarni Enterprise, Aludiba Enterprise, Energy Partners Limited, Fa-Hausa Ventures, Fa-Hausa Company Limited, Aludiba Foundation, and Sawtina Enterprise — to channel and launder stolen funds.

“My fellow countrymen and women, I called the criminal enterprise operated by Mr Abdul-Wahab and his collaborators at the Buffer Stock ‘the Rumble in the Jungle’ not only because of the huge amount of money at stake but because of the fact that while food suppliers were wailing and gnashing their teeth due to failure to pay them, and while our school kids were being denied nutrition, Mr Abdul-Wahab and his collaborators were busy lawlessly looting funds meant for the programme. That is jungle behaviour,” Dr Ayine said emphatically.

A critical part of the scheme, according to the A-G, involved Sawtina Enterprise, a company allegedly owned by NAFCO’s Northern Sector Manager, James Atieku-Apawu.

While Sawtina received GH¢78.2 million in payments from NAFCO for food supplies, only GH¢27.4 million was supported by genuine deliveries.

“The bulk of the payments, about 98 per cent of the GH¢78.2 million, were instantly re-transferred to Alqarni Enterprise, Fa-Hausa Ventures and other entities owned and controlled by or affiliated to Hanan Abdul-Wahab and Faiza Seidu Wuni,” Dr Ayine stated.

The stolen funds were allegedly used to acquire a range of luxury assets. Among the frozen properties are a five-bedroom mansion valued at $1.6 million, a three-bedroom house in Cantonments worth $600,000, and a three-plot development near Finali’s Airport site estimated at $2.5 million.

Other confiscated assets include a 17-bedroom boutique hotel in Tamale operating under a Villa Monticello franchise, multiple residential and commercial buildings in Accra and Tamale, a government land parcel in Accra, a fixed deposit of GH¢10 million, several vehicles, and over 61 designer handbags.

Dr Ayine reaffirmed the government’s determination to hold all public officials accountable, emphasizing that the evidence gathered by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) was extensive and credible.

He appealed to the public to remain patient as his office works to build airtight cases capable of securing convictions.

“I was not an incompetent lawyer in private practice, and I wouldn't want to be an incompetent lawyer in public office,” he declared.