Special Prosecutor Charges 4 Persons for Using Bawumia’s Veep Office for Fraud at Tema Port

• The Office of the Special Prosecutor charged four public officials with corruption over an attempt to unlawfully acquire containers of imported rice
• The special prosecutor said they used forged documents from the Office of the Vice President
• Internal investigations by the Ghana Revenue Authority and a High Court ruling reportedly exposed their plans

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has charged four public officials with corruption in connection with a high-profile attempt to unlawfully acquire 10 containers of imported rice at the Tema Port.

The accused persons have been identified as Issah Seidu of the National Insurance Commission, James Keck Osei, a former Director at the former Vice President’s Secretariat, and Customs officers John Abban and Peter Archibold Hyde.

The special prosecutor, in a statement, said they allegedly conspired to seize the containers using forged documents from the Office of the Vice President.

According to court filings, the rice was legally imported from Thailand in 2022, and all required duties had been duly paid.

However, Seidu allegedly attempted to secure the release of the containers through the Ghana Revenue Authority's auction process under false pretences.

The accused persons reportedly manipulated official processes to divert the containers for their gain.

Internal investigations by the Ghana Revenue Authority and a High Court ruling exposed their plans.

"Their plot collapsed after internal investigations and a High Court ruling exposed the scheme."

The four are expected to be arraigned on June 27. They will answer to multiple counts of conspiracy to commit a crime, corruption, and abuse of public office.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor assured the public that it will pursue the case vigorously to its logical conclusion, warning that more officials could be implicated as investigations continue.

Mahama administration chasing alleged corruption

The Mahama administration has initiated investigations into the activities of Akufo-Addo appointees.

On June 4, President John Mahama disclosed that the Attorney-General is building 33 cases of corruption and related offences against former government appointees.

These cases reportedly stem from investigations conducted by the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) preparatory committee into complaints against the Nana Akufo-Addo administration.

GBC reported that Mahama said court proceedings on the 33 cases would begin soon.

The president also said that his administration had created special investigative teams to investigate each of them.

The ORAL preparatory committee claimed it had identified $21.19 billion in potential recoveries from looted state assets and undervalued land sales.

At the handover of the committee’s report on February 2 in Accra, the committee held the view that some cases could boost Ghana’s financial standing.

Attempts to probe Akufo-Addo appointees

YEN.com.gh reported that the MP for Assin South, John Ntim Fordjour's home was raided by National Investigations Bureau personnel.

National Security also raided the residence of former Bank of Ghana Governor, Dr. Ernest Addison, during a raid on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.

Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta's home was also raided by a national security team. The former minister has since sued National Security over the incident.

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh