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Former Executive Director of the National Service Authority, Osei Assibey Antwi, is set to face additional charges in the ongoing trial over alleged ghost names on the National Service Scheme payroll.
State prosecutors informed the High Court of Ghana in Accra that new developments have emerged following the submission of a performance audit report by the Ghana Audit Service to the Attorney-General.
Principal State Attorney Dufie Prempeh told the court that the findings in the audit require amendments to the existing charge sheet. Although the case had been scheduled for a Case Management Conference, the prosecution received the report only a day before the hearing, leaving no time to file revised charges.
A preliminary review of the audit revealed the need to adjust the original charges, prompting the prosecution to request a short adjournment to allow for the necessary amendments. The presiding judge granted the request and rescheduled proceedings to February 25 for the accused to take his plea on the updated charges.
Mr. Assibey Antwi has already pleaded not guilty to 14 counts, including allegations that he authorised the payment of allowances to more than 60,000 alleged non-existent national service personnel between August 2021 and February 2025.
Prosecutors claim that during his tenure, payments amounting to GH¢500.86 million were made to ghost names. He is currently facing seven counts of causing financial loss to the state, six counts of stealing, and one count of money laundering.
Earlier, the court granted him bail of GH¢800 million with six justified sureties, later reducing it to GH¢623 million—an amount said to reflect the alleged sum involved. Other bail conditions remain in place, including the submission of his passports, mandatory reporting twice a month to the National Intelligence Bureau, and placement on a travel watch list.
The case is expected to continue after prosecutors file the amended charges based on the audit findings.