Mustapha Hamid, 6 others to appear before High Court on July 23

Former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, and six others are expected to appear before Criminal Division 3 of the High Court on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, over corruption-related charges.

This was confirmed in a statement issued by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

According to the OSP, Dr. Abdul-Hamid and the other accused persons are currently on inquiry bail pending trial.

The others include Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Wendy Newman, Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Bright Bernako-Mensah, and Kwaku Aboagye Acquah.

Together, they face a total of 25 charges, including extortion by a public officer, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering.

The charges are linked to an alleged large-scale extortion and money laundering scheme involving more than GH¢280 million.

However, Dr. Abdul-Hamid’s legal team has dismissed the claims, stating that as of July 17, no formal charges had been served, nor had he been arraigned before any competent court. They described the allegations as inconsistent and lacking legal basis.

In a statement, the lawyers noted that the original accusations—announced by the OSP at a February 2025 press conference—involved alleged embezzlement of GH¢1.3 billion from the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) and procurement breaches.

Dr. Abdul-Hamid’s legal team credited what they described as “unprecedented financial growth” at the NPA to his leadership, citing an increase in the UPPF from GH¢53 million in 2021 to more than GH¢1.1 billion by the end of 2024.

“This is a man who served with utmost integrity and competence,” his counsel said. “He is fully prepared to contest any charges leveled against him and is confident that the truth will vindicate him.”