The Auditor-General’s report on the National Service Authority (NSA) scandal has fingered the former Deputy Executive Director of the NSA, Gifty Oware-Mensah, for unlawfully enrolling as a National Service Person (NSP).
Gifty Oware-Mensah enrolled as a National Service Person while simultaneously serving as a full-time salaried public officer.
According to the technical and forensic audit, Gifty Oware-Mensah, between the 2021/2022 service year, was manually added to the NSS payroll despite holding an executive position.
The report showed she was posted to the Koblimahagu Sobriya Primary School in Tamale but failed to report to her assigned post.
One Adjei Robert Nii Laryea Kumah, an officer of the National Service Authority, has also been fingered for manually uploading her on the NSS system.
The audit report also revealed that Mustapha Ussif approved her Personal Identification Number (PIN) on 22 April 2021, but had already been appointed Minister for Youth and Sports on 12 January 2021.
Gifty Oware-Mensah received allowances totalling GH¢6,708.48, which were automatically deducted and paid to a vendor through the NSS Marketplace platform.
Also, investigations indicated that on 16 March 2021, an NSS officer manually uploaded 4,557 names of postgraduate students from KNUST. 19 were regionally approved, but 2,802 individuals were paid a combined GH¢899,349.67 in allowances without verification.
Meanwhile, in court, Gifty Oware-Mensah was granted a GH¢10 million bail by the Accra High Court.
She pleaded not guilty to five charges levelled against her by the Attorney General.
The former NSA Deputy Executive Director pleaded not guilty to five charges, including stealing and money laundering, in the ₵38 million ghost names scandal.
She made her court appearance at the Accra High Court on Wednesday, October 22, 2025.
John Boadu, a Former NPP General Secretary, was captured in a video at the court, seated next to Gifty Oware-Mensah.
Gifty Oware-Mensah was granted a GH¢10 million bail with three sureties in connection with the NSA ghost names scandal.
As part of her bail conditions, Gifty Oware-Mensah has been ordered to deposit all her passports and has been placed on a stop list at all entry and exit points in the country.
The case has been adjourned to November 25, 2025.
Also, Dr Dominic Ayine, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, has revealed that the National Service ghost names scandal now stands at GHC2.2 billion and not GHC548 million.
According to the Attorney General, following a forensic audit by the Auditor-General, a new figure of GHC2.2 billion has been uncovered to be the amount of money stolen.
He revealed that, per this new information, the charge sheet against the suspects will be amended for fresh charges to be brought against these suspects.
Speaking at the press briefing on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, Dr Dominic Ayine added, “ I wish to announce that the Auditor-General has conducted a forensic audit into the National Service scandal, and the total amount of money stolen or illegally spent now stands at GHC2.2 billion and not the GHC548 million that was uncovered by my investigators as at June 2025.
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— SIKAOFFICIAL🦍 (@SIKAOFFICIAL1) October 29, 2025