By Alex Ababio
Six accused persons facing charges alongside the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, in connection with the alleged extortion of GH¢280 million from oil marketing companies, remain in custody after failing to meet their bail conditions.
Despite being granted bail by the High Court on Wednesday, the six could not satisfy the bail requirements, according to a statement issued on Friday by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, which is prosecuting the case. Only Dr. Abdul-Hamid, the former Information Minister, successfully met his bail conditions.
The accused were admitted to bail totalling GH¢14 million after pleading not guilty to 25 charges. These include:
Extortion by a public officer, contrary to Section 151 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29),
Conspiracy to commit money laundering, contrary to Section 23 of Act 29 and Sections 1(1), 1(2), and 4 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044),
Money laundering, contrary to Sections 1(1), 1(2), and 4 of Act 1044.
Dr. Abdul-Hamid, along with two other NPA officials—Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF), and Wendy Newman, an NPA staff member—were each granted bail in the sum of GH¢2 million, with two sureties to be justified. The High Court specified that one surety must be a public servant earning at least GH¢5,000 net monthly salary, while the other must prove ownership of landed property.
All three are required to report to the authorities once every two weeks as part of their bail conditions.
The case also involves five executives from three companies, alleged to have played roles in facilitating the money laundering scheme. These include:
Albert Ankrah,
Isaac Mensah,
Bright Bediako-Mensah, and
Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah.
Each of them was granted GH¢2 million bail with three sureties, one of whom must justify with evidence of ownership of landed property.
The case has been adjourned to August 26, 2025 for further proceedings.