Following a viral video in which the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, described his ongoing criminal case as “useless,” the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has reiterated the seriousness of the matter.
Dr. Abdul-Hamid, the first accused, is currently standing trial before the Criminal High Court in Accra on multiple counts of corruption and financial crimes.
According to the OSP, the charges include:
- Conspiracy to Commit Extortion by a Public Officer – together with two NPA officials, Dr. Abdul-Hamid is accused of plotting to extort GH¢291,574,087.19 and US$332,407.47 from bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies between December 2022 and December 2024.
- Two Counts of Extortion by a Public Officer – for the unlawful receipt of GH¢24 million and US$230,000 from oil transporters and haulage companies under the guise of official duties.
- Two Counts of Using Public Office for Profit – for allegedly abusing his position as NPA Chief Executive for private gain.
- Money Laundering – after being found in possession of GH¢15,343,251.29, an amount disproportionate to his known legitimate income and suspected to be proceeds of crime.
In total, Dr. Abdul-Hamid is alleged to have played a leading role in a grand extortion and laundering scheme that caused the State and the petroleum sector losses exceeding GH¢291 million and over US$330,000.
The OSP has already seized and frozen assets valued at more than GH¢100 million and over US$100,000, with additional properties currently under tracing. Authorities confirm these actions are backed by “strong documentary, banking, and transaction evidence linking the proceeds to the alleged offences.”
The office emphasised that the case is a significant step in protecting public funds and enforcing accountability in the petroleum sector, stressing that “no public official is above the law.”
The OSP further noted that the scale of the alleged financial losses underscores the prosecution’s importance as “a critical test of Ghana’s commitment to fighting corruption.”
The trial is scheduled to continue on Thursday, November 13, 2025.
Following a video in which the former Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, dismissed his ongoing criminal case as “useless,” it is important to restate the facts behind his prosecution and why the State considers the case both… pic.twitter.com/SGwkijTUyj
— Office of the Special Prosecutor-Ghana (@ospghana) November 4, 2025