Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, others plead not guilty to OSP's fresh charges

The corruption and money-laundering case involving former National Petroleum Authority boss Mustapha Abdul-Hamid took a fresh turn on Tuesday, with the former official and seven others returning to court to enter not guilty pleas again after prosecutors revised the charge sheet.

This is now the third time pleas have been taken in the case, which centres on allegations of a large-scale extortion and laundering scheme involving more than GH¢291 million and $332,000.

The latest round followed a decision by the Office of the Special Prosecutor to remove two accused persons from the case after accepting settlement offers from them. The pair, Albert Ankrah and Isaac Mensah, both linked to Kels Logistics, are no longer standing trial, leaving eight accused persons before the court.

That development forced a fresh plea process for the remaining defendants, including Mr Abdul-Hamid, on 24 March 2026.

The court then turned to the question of bail.

Counsel for the first accused, former Deputy Attorney General Joseph Kpenka, urged the court to maintain the earlier bail terms, arguing that the accused had complied fully with previous conditions. He told the court that since the first arraignment in July 2025, and again after the charges were expanded in December 2025, the accused persons had consistently attended proceedings and reported to the Special Prosecutor as directed.

The court granted bail of GH¢2 million each to the accused, with two justified sureties required in every case. One surety must be a public servant earning a net monthly salary of at least GH¢5,000, while another must provide landed property documents to the court registry. Additional sureties are required to deposit copies of a nationally recognised identity card.

The court also directed all accused persons to report to the lead investigator at the Office of the Special Prosecutor every two weeks. Their passports are to remain in the custody of the court, and their names are to be placed on the stop list at all entry and exit points across the country.

The case has evolved significantly since it first began.

When the matter was initially called in July 2025, Mr Abdul-Hamid and nine others denied 25 charges. Prosecutors later revised the case, increasing the number of counts to 54, and all 10 accused again pleaded not guilty in December 2025. The latest amendment, filed on 18 March 2026, reduced the number of accused persons after the charges against the two Kels Logistics directors were dropped.

According to the prosecution’s case, the alleged scheme dates back to the period between 2022 and December 2024.

Investigators say Mr Abdul-Hamid, identified in the charge sheet as the first accused, worked with the second and third accused persons to establish an unlawful extortion arrangement targeting bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies. Prosecutors allege the scheme was carried out under the cover of their official positions at the NPA and generated GH¢291,574,087.19 and $332,407.47 in proceeds.

The brief facts further claim that the plan originated with the first accused, who allegedly brought in the second accused, with the third accused later becoming a key channel for receiving funds.

Prosecutors also allege that between January and December 2024, a total of GH¢424 million was handed directly by the second accused to the first accused as proceeds of the alleged enterprise. In addition, the first accused is said to have personally received GH¢230,000 from an oil haulage company during the same period.

The prosecution further claims that other accused persons, together with a director of a company listed in the case who is currently at large, used a network of corporate entities to move and conceal the alleged proceeds. Those companies, investigators say, were used to channel money into both movable and immovable assets in an effort to disguise the source of the funds and shield those involved from legal consequences.

The trial is expected to continue with eight accused persons now facing the charges.