Oware-Mensah asks High Court to hold NSA “ghost names” trial

Former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority, Gifty Oware-Mensah, has filed a motion at the High Court seeking to suspend her ongoing criminal trial over an alleged GH¢38 million loss to the state.

According to her counsel, Gary Nimako Marfo, told the court that they seek a stay of proceedings while the Court of Appeal considers a separate challenge to a directive issued by the trial court. That directive requires Oware-Mensah to file a list of the witnesses she intends to call for her defense, including their addresses.

Her legal team argues that compelling an accused person to disclose defence witnesses and their addresses at that stage offends the constitutional guarantee in Article 19(2)(c) of the 1992 Constitution, which protects the presumption of innocence until a competent court proves guilt.

The High Court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, adjourned the matter to March 9, 2026, to give the prosecution time to file an affidavit opposing the request to halt proceedings.

Oware-Mensah is facing charges including wilfully causing financial loss to the state, using public office for profit, and money laundering. The Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine, filed the charges in October last year, alleging that she created 9,934 “ghost names” on the NSA Central Management System and used them to support a financing arrangement involving Blocks of Life Consult Limited and the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB).

Prosecutors claim she presented the company to ADB as having supplied goods on hire-purchase to the supposed beneficiaries and used their projected allowances as collateral, leading to the alleged wrongful acquisition of GH¢38,458,248.87 through source deductions over an 11-month period.

Oware-Mensah has pleaded not guilty and remains on bail as the case continues.