Mustapha Hamid, Six others to appear in court over GHS280m corruption case
Former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, and six others are expected to appear before Criminal Division 3 of the High Court on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, to answer to corruption-related allegations brought against them by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
The OSP confirmed the scheduled court appearance in a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Thursday, July 17, 2025.
According to the OSP, Dr. Abdul-Hamid is alleged to have masterminded an extortion scheme that led to the collection of GHS280,516,127.19 between 2022 and December 2024. Of that amount, the Special Prosecutor claims GHS24 million was paid directly to the former CEO, while the remainder was allegedly funneled through intermediaries and laundered using three companies.
According to the OSP, all accused persons are currently on inquiry bail pending trial. They include: Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Wendy Newman, Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Bright Bernako-Mensah, and Kwaku Aboagye Acquah.
However, Dr. Abdul-Hamid’s legal team has refuted these claims, stating that as of July 17, no formal charges had been served, nor had he been arraigned before any competent court. They described the allegations as inconsistent and lacking legal foundation.
In a statement, his lawyers noted that the original accusations—announced by the OSP at a February 2025 press conference—involved embezzlement of GHS1.3 billion from the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF), as well as procurement breaches.
The accusations have since been revised to extortion and money laundering, with the alleged amount reduced to GHS280 million.
“Our client denies initiating or being involved in any extortion scheme, either directly or indirectly, and further denies receiving any personal benefit from such alleged conduct,” the statement read.
The legal team also pointed to what they described as “unprecedented financial growth” during Dr. Abdul-Hamid’s tenure, highlighting that the UPPF grew from GHS53 million in 2021 to over GHS1.1 billion by the end of 2024. They argued that this growth is proof of his competence and transparency as NPA CEO.
“This is a man who served with utmost integrity and competence,” his counsel added. “He is fully prepared to contest any charges leveled against him and is confident that the truth will vindicate him.”
The upcoming court appearance marks the latest development in a case that has attracted significant public and industry attention, as it involves one of the highest-profile former executives in Ghana’s petroleum regulatory sector.
