Kwabena Adu-Boahene and Associates Charged with 11 Counts in GHC 49 Million Cybersecurity Procurement Scandal

The Attorney-General of the Republic of Ghana has filed a comprehensive 11-count charge sheet against Kwabena Adu-Boahene, former Director-General of the National Signals Bureau, his wife Angela Adjei Boateng, Mildred Donkor, and Advantage Solutions Limited, over a fraudulent cybersecurity procurement that cost the state GHC 49.1 million.

Filed before the High Court in Accra on April 30, 2025, the charges span offences under the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044), and the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD 140). The accused are alleged to have dishonestly misappropriated state funds between February and March 2020, under the guise of procuring a cyber defence system for the Republic of Ghana from an Israeli firm, ISC Holdings Limited.

According to the particulars, the accused persons engineered three payments: GHC 27,100,000.00 on February 5, GHC 1,000,000.00 on March 18, and GHC 21,000,000.00 on March 30, drawn from a Fidelity Bank account registered to “The Director BNC”—a public account held under the former Bureau of National Communications, which by Act 1040 was merged into the National Signals Bureau.

Investigations show that the funds were paid not to ISC Holdings, but into the account of a private company, BNC Communications Bureau Limited, misleadingly named to resemble the official Bureau of National Communications. The company had been quietly incorporated by Adu-Boahene and his wife Angela Adjei Boateng while he still held office, with Boateng listed as sole shareholder and both serving as directors. Mildred Donkor, a former bank relationship officer, also served as director and allegedly assisted in the management of funds.

Adu-Boahene submitted a forged contract dated January 30, 2020, between ISC Holdings and the Government of Ghana, to support the transaction. Though US$1.75 million was transferred to ISC Holdings, authorities confirmed that no cybersecurity equipment matching the contract was delivered to the Government or its successor agency.

The total loss to the state amounted to GHC 49,100,000.00, the cedi equivalent of US$7 million at the time. The funds were traced through multiple shell companies ultimately owned by the fourth accused, Advantage Solutions Limited. Investigators found they were used to purchase real estate in Accra, Kumasi, and London, a fleet of luxury vehicles, and to fund high-end personal expenses for the accused and their associates.

Despite denying involvement in police caution statements, documentary and financial evidence revealed that all three individual accused—Adu-Boahene, Boateng, and Donkor—were actively engaged in the movement and laundering of the stolen funds.

The charges filed include:

• Three counts of stealing (Section 124(1), Act 29)
• One count of conspiracy to steal (Sections 23(1) and 124(1), Act 29)
• One count of defrauding by false pretences (Section 131(1), Act 29)
• One count of causing financial loss to the state (Section 179A(3)(a), Act 29)
• Two counts of abuse of public office for profit (Section 179C, Act 29)
• One count of obtaining public property by false statements (Section 5, SMCD 140)
• One count of money laundering (Section 1(2)(c), Act 1044)
• One count of conspiracy to commit money laundering (Section 3, Act 1044)

The Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, described the case as involving an “elaborate criminal enterprise” where the accused persons exploited their public positions and corporate structures “to steal, launder and convert public funds for private gain.”

The accused were arrested in March and April 2025 following months of investigation. Adu-Boahene was picked up at Kotoka International Airport on March 20 upon arriving from London, while his wife and Donkor were arrested shortly after. Advantage Solutions Limited, the fourth accused, is listed as a corporate entity used to receive and conceal stolen state funds.