The criminal trial of former Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Osei Assibey Antwi, has been adjourned to February 25 to allow the Republic to file an amended charge sheet following the submission of a fresh audit report.
The case, which was slated for a Case Management Conference (CMC), could not proceed after prosecutors notified the court that the Auditor-General had completed a performance audit into the operations of the NSA.
According to the prosecution, the audit report was forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Department on February 16, barely a day before the scheduled hearing.
State attorneys indicated that an initial assessment of the Auditor-General’s findings showed that the current charges would need to be amended. However, due to the late submission of the report, the Republic was unable to file the revised charge sheet prior to the court date.
The prosecution subsequently applied for a brief adjournment to enable a thorough review of the audit findings and to formally amend the charges.
The court granted the request and adjourned the matter to February 25, when the accused is expected to enter his plea to the amended charge sheet.
Mr Assibey Antwi is facing several charges, including causing financial loss to the state, stealing and money laundering, in relation to the alleged “ghost names” scandal at the NSA.
Prosecutors contend that during his tenure, allowances were paid to thousands of non-existent national service personnel, leading to significant financial losses to the state.
He is also accused of transferring public funds into personal accounts and authorising withdrawals from NSA project funds without lawful justification.
The former NSA Executive Director has pleaded not guilty to the initial charges.
