On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the former CEO of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), and six other individuals are scheduled to appear before Criminal Division 3 of the High Court to respond to accusations of corruption made against them by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
On Thursday, July 17, 2025, the OSP made a statement on its official Facebook page confirming the planned court appearance.
GHS280,516,127.19 was collected between 2022 and December 2024 as a result of an extortion operation that Dr. Abdul-Hamid allegedly orchestrated, according to the OSP. The Special Prosecutor asserts that GHS24 million of that sum was paid to the former CEO directly, with the remaining sum allegedly being laundered through three firms and routed through middlemen.
Mustapha Hamid, 6 others to appear before High Court on July 23
All of the accused are presently out on investigation bail pending trial, according to the OSP. Among them are Bright Bernako-Mensah, Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Kwaku Aboagye Acquah, Wendy Newman, and Jacob Kwamina Amuah.
The legal team defending Dr. Abdul-Hamid, however, has denied these allegations, claiming that as of July 17, neither official charges nor an arraignment before a court of competent jurisdiction have been brought against him. They said the accusations lacked legal support and were inconsistent.
His attorneys said in a statement that the initial charges, which were made public by the OSP during a news conference in February 2025, included procurement violations and the misappropriation of GHS1.3 billion from the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF).
The accusations have since been revised to extortion and money laundering, with the alleged amount reduced to GHS280 million.
“Our client denies initiating or being involved in any extortion scheme, either directly or indirectly, and further denies receiving any personal benefit from such alleged conduct,” the statement read.
The legal team also pointed to what they described as “unprecedented financial growth” during Dr. Abdul-Hamid’s tenure, highlighting that the UPPF grew from GHS53 million in 2021 to over GHS1.1 billion by the end of 2024. They argued that this growth is proof of his competence and transparency as NPA CEO.
“This is a man who served with utmost integrity and competence,” his counsel added. “He is fully prepared to contest any charges leveled against him and is confident that the truth will vindicate him.”
The upcoming court appearance marks the latest development in a case that has attracted significant public and industry attention, as it involves one of the highest-profile former executives in Ghana’s petroleum regulatory sector.
