The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has accused former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Gifty Oware-Mensah, of masterminding a complex payroll fraud scheme involving the misuse of National Service Scheme (NSS) funds to obtain a loan of GH¢30.7 million from the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB).
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Speaking at a press conference on Friday, June 13, as part of the government’s anti-corruption initiative Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL), Dr. Ayine said investigations have concluded and legal proceedings are set to commence.
Scheme Involved Ghost Names, Fake Vendors, and Loan Fraud
According to the Attorney-General, NSS allowances were inflated using thousands of ghost names, which were submitted to vendors for payment. The excess funds were then retrieved by insiders.
“When these vendors received inflated payments, NSS staff collected the extra amounts in person or had them deposited into the accounts of top officials,” Ayine explained.
He named suspects including Gaise Nyarko, Oteng, and Osei Asibey Antwi, who allegedly received and redistributed the fraudulent proceeds.
GH¢30m Loan Secured with Ghost Names
Dr. Ayine revealed that Gifty Oware-Mensah created a company called Blocks of Life Consult, illegally using other people’s personal details for its registration. She then used the firm to secure a GH¢30.7 million loan from ADB at a 23% interest rate.
“She introduced the company to ADB via Akwasi Ofori Mintah, and used her husband, Mr. Peter Mensah, a lawyer, as a company director,” Ayine stated.
Oware-Mensah told ADB the company provided home appliances to service personnel and would recover payments through monthly salary deductions handled by the NSS.
However, Blocks of Life Consult was not an authorised NSS vendor, according to the Attorney-General.
Nearly 10,000 Ghost Names Used in the Fraud
Investigations showed that 9,934 ghost names were used over two service years to facilitate the scam. The loan funds were transferred into the company’s account, then distributed into four separate company accounts, allegedly for concealment.
“There was no indication that Blocks of Life was a registered vendor on the NSS platform,” Ayine noted.
The scandal adds to the growing list of high-profile corruption allegations linked to the NSS payroll, with further charges expected in the coming weeks.
