The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has filed an amended charge sheet in the criminal case against former Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Osei Assibey Antwi, increasing the number of charges from 14 to 21 while simultaneously reducing the alleged financial loss to the state.
The amended charges, presented to an Accra court today, include stealing, causing financial loss to the Republic, money laundering, and improper payment of public funds contrary to the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921). Mr Assibey Antwi pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Director of Public Prosecutions Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, assisted by Ms Dufie Prempeh and four other state attorneys, informed the court that the Republic had filed an amended charge sheet and sought to substitute the earlier one.
Following the court’s direction, the accused’s plea was taken afresh on the 21 counts, to which he maintained his not guilty plea.
Ralph Opoku Adusei, counsel for the accused, who appeared with Enock Adu Ameyaw and two others, prayed the court to allow his client to continue on the existing bail conditions—a request the prosecution did not oppose.
The court accordingly ordered that the accused remain on the bail conditions granted on December 11, 2025, and directed the prosecution to file disclosures and witness statements to enable the case to proceed. The matter has been adjourned to April 13, 2026.
Revised financial loss
The amended charge sheet significantly revises the amount the state claims was lost in the alleged scheme. While the earlier charge sheet filed in 2025 alleged that Mr Assibey Antwi authorised payments totalling GH¢500,861,744.02 to more than 60,000 suspected ghost national service personnel, the new charge sheet puts the alleged loss at GH¢431,761,556.76.
The prosecution now contends that the payments were made to “non-service personnel and unverified individuals” rather than the previously stated ghost names.
According to investigations by the National Intelligence Bureau, 63,672 unverified registrants were entered into the payment system between 2018 and 2024 to receive service allowances or vendor-related payments. The prosecution maintains that between August 2021 and February 2025, the NSA paid out GH¢431,761,556.76 to persons who either did not undertake national service or whose identities could not be properly verified.
Fresh allegations
The amended charge sheet also contains new allegations that some allowances meant for national service personnel were redirected to an e-zwich card registered in the name of the accused. Investigators claim the card received deposits totalling GH¢8,256,000 between 2022 and 2024.
The prosecution said the card was not disclosed during the official handing-over process when Mr Assibey Antwi left office. It is further alleged that he denied knowledge of the card during questioning, but it was later retrieved during a search at his residence.
Additional allegations relate to payments made to vendors under the NSA marketplace arrangement, with the prosecution claiming some services were not provided. In some instances, vendors allegedly returned part of the funds directly to the accused in cash rather than refunding the money to the Authority.
Farm project allegations
The amended charge sheet introduces new allegations concerning the Sekyere-Kumawu Economic Enclave (Farm) Project. Prosecutors claim that between August 2022 and June 2024, an amount of GH¢106 million was transferred from the NSA Control Account into a project account for the initiative’s implementation.
However, the prosecution argues that the Authority did not receive value for money for some of the contracts awarded under the project, resulting in an estimated loss of GH¢61,289,843.30 to the state.
