The Accra High Court has confirmed the full list of properties and assets linked to Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), as the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) prepares to rely on bank statements and mobile money records to prove its ¢291 million extortion and money laundering case against him and nine others.
The OSP on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, presented bank statements and financial records to the court, marking a significant step in the prosecution of one of Ghana’s most high-profile corruption cases. The case, titled The Republic v. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid & 9 Others (CR/0603/2025), involves alleged offences totalling GH¢291,574,087.19 and US$332,407.47, allegedly extorted from bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies between 2022 and 2024.
The Confirmed Properties
The Office of the Special Prosecutor has seized and is managing the following properties pending the outcome of the trial:
- GH¢951,995.56 in cash
- Four fuel stations at Opeikuma, Dansoman, Abeka Lapaz and Millennium City
- Land in Tamale valued at GH¢9.93 million
- Land at Haatso valued at GH¢2.737 million
- Land at Danyame, Kumasi valued at GH¢4.766 million
- Land at Adenta, yet to be valued
- Two-storey residential building at East Legon valued at GH¢12.713 million
- Two-storey building at Adjiringanor valued at GH¢10 million
- Six-unit residential block at Agbogba valued at GH¢10 million
- Apartments at Airport Residential Area, Boundary Road, Roman Ridge, The Signature, The Lennox, The Bantree and The Address
- Uncompleted apartment developments at Airport City and Roman Ridge
- 23 fuel tanker trucks
The OSP’s 2025 Half-Yearly Report, signed by Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng, detailed the specific valuations of several apartment units. These include a one-bedroom apartment at The Bantree valued at GH¢1,435,000; a studio apartment at The Signature valued at GH¢2,075,000; a two-bedroom apartment at The Signature valued at GH¢3,562,000; a studio apartment at Beyond valued at GH¢3,562,000; a one-bedroom apartment at The Lennox valued at GH¢1,687,500; a one-bedroom apartment at Roman Ridge valued at GH¢3,141,000; and a two-bedroom apartment at The Loxwood Apartments. The Office also manages three one-bedroom deluxe apartments under construction at The Monarch, Airport Residential, and four uncompleted apartments at The Atlas, Airport City.
OSP’s Evidence: Bank and MoMo Records
The prosecution is expected to rely heavily on financial records, including bank and mobile money accounts and associated transactions, to establish the movement of funds linked to the alleged offences. According to the charge sheet, the OSP alleges that Dr. Hamid and the other accused persons extorted hundreds of millions of cedis from bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies under the guise of official duties, and that proceeds from the purported extortion were subsequently laundered through property acquisitions and business entities in an attempt to conceal their alleged illicit origins.
Hundreds of documents are also expected to form part of the evidence the OSP will present in support of its case.
The Charges
The accused persons are facing 54 counts, including conspiracy to commit extortion by a public officer, extortion by a public officer, using public office for profit, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering. The OSP initially filed 25 charges against the accused in July 2025, but amended the charges to 54 counts in October 2025 following the discovery of new evidence.
The OSP has specifically alleged that Jacob Kwamina Amuah, the Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) at the NPA, directly handed GH¢24 million to Dr. Abdul-Hamid. The prosecution claims the alleged scheme involved the unlawful collection of funds from industry players under various pretexts.
The other accused persons are Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Wendy Newman, Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah, Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited and Kings Energy Limited. All the accused persons have pleaded not guilty to the charges and have been granted bail. Dr. Abdul-Hamid and two others were granted bail of GH¢2 million each with three sureties by an Accra High Court in December 2025. The court directed that one surety for each accused must be a public servant earning a net salary of GH¢5,000, while another must deposit landed property documents at the Court’s Registry. All sureties are required to submit valid national identity cards.
The accused are required to report to the Court’s Registry twice monthly, on the first and last Tuesday, with the Registrar filing returns to the Court. In default, a bench warrant will be issued. In January 2026, the High Court tightened the bail conditions, ordering that the accused persons shall now report to the lead prosecutor of the OSP on the first Monday of every month until the commencement of trial.
Who is Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid?
Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid was born on June 14, 1971, in Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana. He attended the Station Experimental Primary School at the Kamina Barracks from 1976 to 1982, before gaining admission to Bawku Secondary School, where he sat for his Ordinary Level Examination in 1987. He then attended Tamale Secondary School for his Sixth Form education, sitting for his Advanced Level Examination in 1989.
In 1991, he entered the University of Cape Coast for his undergraduate studies, where he studied Classics, English and Religion. He majored in Religious Studies and obtained a Second Class Honours, Upper Division. He went on to earn both an MPhil and a PhD in Religious Studies from the same university and taught as a lecturer in the Department of Religion and Human Values.
Before entering politics, Dr. Abdul-Hamid worked as the News Editor for Choice FM, Editor of the Statesman Newspaper and the Highstreet Journal. He served as the National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) between 2003 and 2005 and was appointed Executive Secretary of the Danquah Institute, a policy and research think-tank based in Accra, in 2013. In 2007, he was appointed Spokesperson for then-presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, a role he held until February 2017.
During the first term of the NPP administration, Dr. Abdul-Hamid was appointed Minister of State responsible for Information and Government Communications. He was later reassigned to the Ministry for Inner-City and Zongo Development in 2018. In 2020, he was appointed Deputy National Campaign Manager for the NPP for the presidential elections.
President Akufo-Addo appointed Dr. Abdul-Hamid as Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority in June 2021, with his appointment taking effect from July 1, 2021. He replaced Hassan Tampuli, who had been elected Member of Parliament for Gushegu. Dr. Abdul-Hamid led the NPA until early 2024, overseeing the regulation of petroleum product pricing, fuel quality assurance and the management of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF).
He was elected President of the African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA) in March 2023 and was re-elected for a second term in April 2024.
Legal Challenges and Supreme Court Ruling
Dr. Abdul-Hamid’s legal team, led by Akbar Yussif Rohullah Khomeini, has challenged the charge sheet, arguing that the former NPA boss is not facing 54 counts but rather “5 bogus counts.” The defence has also filed an application to strike out the charges.
The trial was suspended in April 2026 after a High Court ruling questioned the OSP’s authority to prosecute cases without prior authorisation. Proceedings resumed on August 11, 2026, after the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the constitutionality of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959), reaffirming the legal framework underpinning the Office’s prosecutorial mandate.
Separate Defamation Suit
Separately, Dr. Abdul-Hamid has filed a GH¢20 million defamation lawsuit against the OSP over statements linking him to the alleged embezzlement of GH¢1.3 billion from the Unified Petroleum Price Fund. He has also sought the release of his passport, which was deposited with the Court’s Registry as part of his bail conditions.
What’s Next
The case is before the Accra High Court (Criminal Division). The court has directed the prosecution to file all mandatory disclosures, and a Case Management Conference is expected to be scheduled. The OSP has indicated that more assets are being traced, and further seizures may follow as investigations continue.
The trial represents one of the most significant corruption prosecutions undertaken by the Office of the Special Prosecutor since its establishment, and its outcome will be closely watched as a test of Ghana’s capacity to hold senior public officials accountable for alleged financial crimes.
