Attorney General Surcharges Former NSA Officials Over GH¢2.4bn
The Office of the Auditor-General (A-G) has begun surcharging former officials of the National Service Authority (NSA) and their associates, seeking to recover GH¢2.4 billion allegedly unlawfully paid from state funds.
According to a technical and forensic audit of the NSA’s systems, the payments were part of a “well-orchestrated conspiracy” to defraud the state. Auditor-General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu has directed the implicated officials to justify the expenditures or face the full force of the surcharge.
The audit, covering January 2018 to December 2024 and submitted to Parliament on October 1, 2025, has identified former Director-General Osei Assibey Antwi and his deputy, Gifty Oware-Mensah, as central figures in the fraudulent schemes.
“The evidence points to a deliberate and coordinated effort to create channels for the illegal siphoning of funds meant for National Service Personnel (NSP),” Mr. Asiedu stated in an exclusive interview. “We are duty-bound to use every power under the law, particularly Article 187(7) of the 1992 Constitution, to recover every pesewa for the state.”
The Auditor-General emphasized that the surcharge process operates independently of any potential criminal proceedings, and will run concurrently with investigations by the Attorney-General.
A significant portion of the misappropriated funds – approximately GH¢169 million, representing 56 per cent of the total – was allegedly channeled to Direct Savings and Loans Ltd through 151 transactions under the vendor names “DSLCONSUM” and “NSSDSLCOUM”.
The report details critical control failures, including a lack of formal agreements with vendors, no documentation of goods or services delivered, absence of board approval for the payments, and initiatives falling outside the NSA’s legal mandate.
Investigations have reportedly yielded confessions from key suspects. A woman from Kumasi allegedly admitted to withdrawing funds and delivering them to Madam Oware-Mensah, while the developer of the NSA’s marketplace portal has also reportedly acknowledged their involvement.
The audit also uncovered instances of senior NSA management fraudulently enrolling as service personnel to claim allowances. Mr. Antwi allegedly registered as a voluntary national service person and paid himself GH¢516,000 monthly for 16 months, totaling GH¢8.2 million.
Similarly, the former Deputy Director-General allegedly registered as NSS personnel, receiving allowances while simultaneously earning her full salary as a deputy CEO. “This is a clear case of conflict of interest and an abuse of office for personal gain,” Mr. Asiedu questioned. “How can those mandated to oversee the scheme turn themselves into beneficiaries?”
The audit report demands full documentation from the NSA to justify vendor payments totaling GH¢301.6 million. “In the absence of appropriate justification, the persons involved would be surcharged with the amount of GH¢301.6 million at the current Bank of Ghana interest rate,” the report states.
Mr. Asiedu confirmed that the surcharge process against Mr. Assibey Antwi, Mrs. Oware-Mensah, and implicated vendors is currently underway. The audit also revealed allowances totaling GH¢1.97 million paid to individuals below the eligibility age of 18 or over 60, with some entries indicating ages as high as 1,027 years.
Furthermore, the report flagged GH¢2.2 million in payments to two companies owned by a sitting NSA Board Member for “monitoring and evaluation” services, constituting a clear breach of procurement and public service ethics.
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