The information gathered from deep throat sources alleged that the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, played a behind-the-scenes role in the CEO of Springfield Exploration and Production Limited (SEP), Kevin Okyere’s release from Dubai prison.
It been alleged that the Asantehene mounted sustained pressure on the John Mahama-led government to intervene diplomatically on Kofi Okyere’s behalf.
According to reports, approximately US$5 million was mobilised to make partial payments to Petraco Oil Company SA in Kevin Okyere’s US$94 million fraud case.
Reports claimed that the Mahama administration, following the Otumfuo’s pressure, brokered a diplomatic arrangement that enabled Mr Okyere to enter Ghana, despite his unresolved legal issues in the UAE.
Sources maintained that the diplomatic arrangement may have tied the hands of Ghana’s crime-fighting agencies, like the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO)and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, which did not act on petitions submitted by officials of Petraco.
The Swiss company, left frustrated by the lack of response in Ghana, pursued legal action in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.
It has also been claimed that the Office of the Attorney General stalled the case because it was seen as a civil issue that does not require state intervention.
Another claim highlighted that the Mahama government was working to help Springfield, “whose desperate unitization prospect with the Italian oil giant, ENI, didn’t see the light of day, either to sell the block, Afina, to the state or to have it appraised for takeover by another company.
The unitization between Springfield’s Afina discovery and ENI’s Sankofa field in Ghana was a years-long dispute that resulted in a government directive from the Akufo-Addo administration to combine the fields for more efficient development”.
Mr Okyere’s arrest was in connection with what is described as a “systematic and orchestrated economic crime” involving nearly US$94 million allegedly perpetrated by Springfield Exploration & Production Limited and GMP Energy Limited, both Ghanaian oil companies, along with their senior executives.
Reports have now emerged that Kevin Okyere has returned to Ghana after months of detention in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following the US$94 million oil deal dispute.
Kevin Okyere’s troubles stem from Petraco Oil Company SA, who have alleged that the Springfield CEO and his Ghanaian partner, GMP Energy Limited, diverted proceeds from crude oil liftings under their joint venture, Petraco Energies DMCC, amounting to US$94 million.
“Adding that the funds were deliberately misappropriated, with executives allegedly asserting non-payment despite Ghana’s state-owned Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST) having made full settlement.
“Petraco further alleges that a US$50 million loan extended to Springfield to fund a unitisation project with Eni Ghana was obtained under false pretences. ENI is reported to have assessed Springfield’s well and concluded that its commercial viability was doubtful, leading to its refusal to proceed with unitisation”, reports stated.
The troubled founder of Springfield Exploration is said to have returned to Ghana with a Malta-registered aircraft with registration number 9H-VIT on Wednesday, 4 February 2026, which carried eight passengers, including Kofi Okyere’s wife, and three crew members.
Mr Okyere, in a video, was captured on board the private jet dancing to loud music with some of his friends; however, his wife appeared uninterested.
Meanwhile, questions remain over the nature and background of the diplomatic arrangement which allowed the Springfield boss to return to Ghana.
However, bloggers and social media commentators in Ghana have claimed that Kevin Okyere paid US$30 million toward outstanding obligations in the UAE, but sources claim the online narratives are false.
Following the brouhaha, there were claims that Springfield’s oil assets, particularly the Afina, could be transferred to either the state-owned Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) or the Italian energy firm ENIas to address the company’s mounting financial liabilities.
Nonetheless, John Jinapor, the Minister of Energy and Green Transitions, publicly defended the prospect of a state-led takeover of Springfield’s stake in the West Cape Three Points Block 2 (WCTP2).
John Jinapor stressed that a state-led takeover will only happen if the asset meets strict technical and commercial benchmarks.
