The High Court has reduced Osei Assibey Antwi, the former Executive Director of the National Service Authority’s bail condition from GHc800 million to GHc623 million.
The High Court bail variation, however, maintained all other bail conditions.
This follows Osei Assibey’s lawyers arguing in court that the original bail of GHc800 million was impossible to meet by their client.
According to his lawyers, the initial bail would require providing dozens of high-value properties in Accra and Kumasi, which makes it unrealistic.
Osei Assibey’s lawyers also noted that the main purpose of bail was preventing flight risk, which has been achieved by their client surrendering his passports and also being placed on a stop list.
Dufie Prempeh, representing the Attorney General’s office, opposed the variation, arguing that the original conditions were reasonable.
The court, in its ruling, accepted that a reduced bail of 623 million cedis is more realistic, but maintained all other conditions of his sureties and property pledges.
Meanwhile, the Former Director-General of the National Service Authority is accused of authorising payments to over 60,000 non-existent national service personnel and misappropriating public funds.
The former NSS boss is facing multiple counts under sections “179A(1) and 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and section 1(2)(c) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044)”.
Prosecutors allege that the former NSA boss “willfully caused financial loss of GH¢500,861,744.02 to the Republic by authorising the payment of allowances to over 60,000 “ghost” service personnel between August 2021 and February 2025. Also facing six counts of stealing.
The theft includes, “GH¢3.6 million on August 22, 2023, GH¢516,000 each on September 11, October 26, and November 23, 2023, GH¢1.03 million on December 18, 2023, GH¢2.06 million on May 14, 2024.
He has also been accused of transferring GH¢8.26 into his personal account.
The charge sheet also cites “unauthorised withdrawals from the Kumawu Farm Project account (No. 1018631542212), amounting to GH¢74 million”.
Meanwhile, Blakk Rasta, a Radio and Television personality, has dropped a bombshell about the former Deputy Executive Director of the NSA, Gifty Oware-Mensah.
According to Blakk Rasta, Gifty Oware-Mensah ran to the Attorney General, kneeling on her feet and begging the AG to have mercy on her and vowed to repay all the stolen money.
Blakk Rasta claimed that the former deputy NSA boss also told the Attorney General she is ready to pay for all she and her husband stole and also ‘sing like a bird’ against his former boss, Osei Assibey Antwi.
The controversial musician and presenter Blakk Rasta shared this on his show The Black Pot.
Speaking on his show, the Black Pot, Blakk Rasta alleged, “Gifty Oware was hot, you know what she did, and this is exclusive, she ran all the way to the Attorney General, knelt on the ground, and begged the Attorney General and said ‘ I am wrong, I am sorry for whatever I did, I don’t want to go to jail, me and my husband, are going to pay for what ever money we have stolen’”.
Blakk Rasta added, “After paying the money, I am ready to tell the whole story about my boss Osei Assibey Antwi, everything he has stolen, everything we did together to steal the Ghaanain people’s money. That was the plea deal”.