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A-G Surcharges Former NSA Bosses Over GH¢2.4bn “Well-Orchestrated Conspiracy”
The Office of the Auditor-General has triggered its constitutional powers to surcharge former top officials of the National Service Authority (NSA) and their collaborators after a sweeping forensic audit uncovered what it describes as a “well-orchestrated conspiracy” to syphon GH¢2.4 billion from state coffers.
The audit, covering January 2018 to December 2024, was submitted to Parliament on October 1, 2025. According to the findings, the fraud was engineered through a complex web of unauthorised payments, ghost personnel enrolments, and transactions lacking legal or administrative backing.
Auditor-General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu has, in formal letters, directed the implicated officers to refund the entire GH¢2.4 billion unless they can provide lawful justification, a task investigators believe will be nearly impossible.
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In an exclusive interview, Mr Asiedu confirmed that the investigation placed former NSA Director-General Osei Assibey Antwi and his former deputy, Gifty Oware-Mensah, at the heart of the scheme.
“The evidence points to a deliberate and coordinated effort to create channels for the illegal syphoning of funds meant for National Service Personnel.” Auditor-General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu
He stressed that his office was constitutionally empowered under Article 187(7) to surcharge public officials for financial losses caused to the state powers that operate independently of criminal prosecution.
This means the recovery process will run concurrently with ongoing criminal charges being pursued by the Attorney-General.
One of the most startling revelations from the audit is that GH¢169 million—representing 56% of the funds—went to a single entity, Direct Savings and Loans Ltd, under suspicious vendor labels such as “DSLCONSUM” and “NSSDSLCOUM”.
A total of 151 transactions were made to the company, even though:
- There were no contracts with the vendor.
- There was no evidence of goods delivered.
- The payments had no board approval
- The initiative had no legal basis within the NSA’s mandate.
A key suspect, a Kumasi-based woman linked to the scheme, reportedly confessed to withdrawing the money and handing it to Madam Oware-Mensah, while the developer of the NSA marketplace portal allegedly admitted his own involvement.
The audit uncovered shocking self-enrichment schemes involving senior management.
- Director-General Osei Assibey Antwi enrolled himself as a voluntary national service person, paying himself GH¢516,000 monthly for 16 months, amounting to GH¢8.2 million.
- Deputy Director-General Oware-Mensah also registered as an NSS personnel, drawing allowances while still receiving her full salary as deputy CEO.
The Auditor-General described this as an egregious breach of ethics:
“This is a clear case of conflict of interest and an abuse of office. How can those mandated to oversee the scheme turn themselves into beneficiaries?”
The audit revealed the enrolment of ineligible and non-existent persons:
- GH¢1.97 million paid to persons below 18 or above 60
- Some are listed as aged over 1,000 years, with one recorded as 1,027 years old.
Investigators say this demonstrates deliberate manipulation of the system to generate fraudulent payouts.
The A-G also flagged GH¢2.2 million paid to two companies owned by a sitting NSA Board Member for “monitoring and evaluation” services.
These payments breached procurement rules and violated public service ethics.
Mr Asiedu confirmed that the surcharge process against the former Director-General, his deputy, and implicated vendors is ongoing.
The NSA has been ordered to provide justification for GH¢301.6 million in vendor payments or face full recovery with interest at current Bank of Ghana rates.
“We are duty-bound to use every power under the law to recover every pesewa for the state,” the Auditor-General stressed.
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