NSS Ghost Names Scandal: Court Dismisses Gifty Oware Mensah’s Bid to Halt Trial
- The Gifty Oware-Mensah has suffered a setback after the Accra High Court dismissed her application to halt proceedings in the ongoing NSA ghost names trial pending the outcome of her appeal
- Her legal team is challenging a directive requiring her to disclose the names and addresses of defence witnesses at the case management stage, arguing it violates provisions of the 1992 Constitution
- She is accused of misappropriating GH₵38.4 million while serving as Deputy Executive Director at the National Service Authority, as part of a wider alleged ghost names payroll scandal
The Accra High Court has dismissed an application by former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Gifty Oware-Mensah, seeking to halt the trial until the determination of her appeal against the order to list the names and addresses of her witnesses during the case management conference.
Oware-Mensah’s lawyers filed the application for a stay of proceedings pending the hearing of an appeal against the High Court’s order for her to disclose the names and addresses of her witnesses during the case management conference in the ongoing trial of the National Service Scheme (NSS) ghost names scandal.
Source: Facebook
Following the dismissal of the stay of proceedings application on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, her defence attorney, Nana Benyin Ackon, who held the brief for lead counsel Gary Nimako Marfo, informed the court of yet another notice of stay of proceedings pending the outcome of a separate appeal at the Court of Appeal.
That appeal challenges the High Court’s earlier refusal to refer certain constitutional issues to the Supreme Court for interpretation.
Oware-Mensah’s legal team had argued that the Practice Direction on Disclosure at the case management stage, which requires the accused to file a list of witnesses, contravenes provisions of the 1992 Constitution.
They consequently asked the court to refer the matter to the Supreme Court and subsequently applied for proceedings to be halted in the interim.
As a result, the presiding judge, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, directed the defence to serve the prosecution with their supplementary affidavits and adjourned the case to April 15, 2026.
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What is the state case against Oware-Mensah?
Gifty Oware-Mensah is facing charges related to the NSS ghost names scandal, which has led to significant financial losses for the state.
The scandal involves the alleged creation of thousands of ghost names on the NSS payroll, with millions of cedis allegedly siphoned from the public purse.
She is accused of misappropriating GH₵38,458,248.87 between February 2022 and March 2024 while overseeing finance, audit, and procurement at the NSS.
Oware-Mensah is also alleged to have dishonestly transferred GH₵31.5 million from a loan facility meant to support National Service Personnel into the account of her private company, Blocks of Life Consult, under the pretext of supplying goods on a hire-purchase basis.
In court on October 22, 2025, the former NSA Deputy Executive Director pleaded not guilty to five charges, including stealing and money laundering, in the ghost names scandal.
Gifty Oware-Mensah spends 20 days in prison
The former NSA Deputy Executive Director was arrested over the ghost names scandal.
She was granted bail of GH₵10 million with three sureties after appearing in court with her lawyers on October 22, 2025.
However, after failing to meet the bail conditions, she was kept in the custody of the National Investigation Bureau (NIB) for 20 days before her release on Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
The controversial case resumes later this month, with Ghanaians seeking to witness the closure of the matter.
Source: UGC
Suspects in NSS scandal freed
In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that 12 individuals, including former officials, were charged in connection with a GH¢548 million NSS payroll scandal.
Attorney General and the Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, said that investigations had since concluded, with the legal proceedings set to begin under the ORAL initiative.
Meanwhile, reported new evidence led to the rearrest of one of the initial suspects, Stephen Kwabena Gyamfi, for allegedly siphoning state funds over a period of several years.
Source: YEN.com.gh
