Court reduces bail for former NSS boss Osei Assibey Antwi to GH¢623 million

The High Court has reviewed and reduced the bail granted to Osei Assibey Antwi, former Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), from GH¢800 million to GH¢623 million, while upholding all other bail conditions.

The ruling follows an application by Mr. Antwi’s legal team, who argued that the original bail amount was excessive and practically unattainable.

Mr. Antwi is facing trial for stealing, money laundering, and causing financial loss to the state, totaling an estimated GH¢1.4 billion.

His lawyers contended that the GH¢800 million bail would require the presentation of dozens of prime properties in Accra or over a thousand houses in Kumasi — a threshold they described as “economically impossible” for compliance.

They further noted that the primary objective of bail—to prevent flight risk—had already been achieved since Mr. Antwi has surrendered his passports and has been placed on a no-fly list.

Opposing the application, Dufie Prempeh from the Attorney General’s Department argued that the original bail terms were appropriate and proportionate to the magnitude of the alleged offence.

She maintained that the amount reflected the gravity of the financial losses under investigation and was necessary to ensure that the accused remained available for the duration of the trial.

In delivering its ruling, the court acknowledged the scale of the alleged financial infractions but agreed that the initial bail sum posed undue difficulty in execution.

Accordingly, it revised the bail to GH¢623 million, describing the new figure as “more practical and balanced”, given the circumstances.

All other bail conditions, including the requirement for sureties and property guarantees, remain unchanged.

The case, involving one of the most high-profile corruption allegations in the public sector in recent years, is expected to resume for case management proceedings in the coming weeks.