Alleged extortion scheme: Mustapha Hamid, six others to appear in court July 23
By DL News
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Updated
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In a statement issued on July 17 via its official Facebook page, the OSP alleged that Dr. Abdul-Hamid masterminded a scheme that led to the unlawful collection of GHS280,516,127.19 between 2022 and 2024.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has announced that former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, alongside six others, is scheduled to appear before Criminal Division 3 of the High Court on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, to respond to allegations of corruption, extortion, and money laundering.
In a statement issued on July 17 via its official Facebook page, the OSP alleged that Dr. Abdul-Hamid masterminded a scheme that led to the unlawful collection of GHS280,516,127.19 between 2022 and 2024. Of this amount, GHS24 million was allegedly received by the former CEO personally, with the remaining funds reportedly funneled through intermediaries and laundered via three companies.
The six other accused individuals—Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Wendy Newman, Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Bright Bernako-Mensah, and Kwaku Aboagye Acquah—are all said to be on inquiry bail pending trial.
However, in a swift response, Dr. Abdul-Hamid’s legal team has dismissed the allegations as “inconsistent and lacking legal basis”, noting that as of July 17, he had not been formally charged nor arraigned before a competent court. The lawyers further argued that the original accusations raised by the OSP in February 2025—centered on alleged embezzlement of GHS1.3 billion from the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) and procurement infractions—have now been significantly revised to extortion and money laundering, with the alleged sum reduced.
The defence team insists that no personal benefit was ever derived by Dr. Abdul-Hamid, stressing his reputation for integrity and performance. They highlighted that during his tenure, the UPPF saw remarkable financial growth, rising from GHS53 million in 2021 to over GHS1.1 billion by end of 2024, which they argue is evidence of his “transparency and capable leadership.”
The case is expected to attract intense public scrutiny, given the profile of the accused and the substantial sums involved in what could become one of the country’s most high-profile corruption trials in the petroleum sector.
