Speaking at the Annual Conference of the African Association of Accountants General in Accra, Mr. Ampem said the government continues to be guided by the President’s firm and repeated warnings to appointees to avoid corrupt practices.

“It has been 10 months of no scandal. Hopefully, we will end the first year with no scandal. Second year, third year, and the administration will end without a scandal,” he said.

His remarks follow a strong caution issued by President Mahama on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, during a meeting with the Christian Council of Ghana. The President warned that any public official caught engaging in corruption will face severe consequences.

He revealed that he constantly reminds his ministers during cabinet meetings not to bring “any scandal” to the government, noting that the fight against corruption is aimed at safeguarding public resources.

“The prosecutions that we are taking against the current government, woe betides the first person who brings a scandal to this government. We shall hang them on a cross, as we follow our Lord Jesus Christ, but they cannot resurrect again,” President Mahama warned.

Reacting to the President’s remarks, Mr. Ampem said the stance has set a stronger tone for accountability across government.

“He says to us: woe betides any of you who bring scandal to my government. And so, if you meet any appointee, what we say is, ‘Hey, let me be sure that I’m not the first to bring scandal to the President.’ This is putting us on our toes,” he added.

He commended the President for providing what he described as firm and essential leadership on ethical conduct in public office.

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Speaking to delegates of the Christian Council of Ghana during a courtesy visit on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, the President said he regularly reminds his ministers in cabinet meetings not to bring any scandal into his government.

“The prosecutions that we are taking against the current government, woe betides the first person who brings a scandal to this government. We shall hang them on a cross, as we follow our Lord Jesus Christ, but they cannot resurrect again.

“The cane used to flog one is the same used for another. We must deal decisively with corruption whenever and wherever it occurs,” he warned.

President Mahama stressed that the fight against corruption is not personal but a necessary step to safeguard public resources and restore public confidence in governance.

“If we want our people to continue to have faith in our democracy, we must show that the political elite is capable of governing accountably. By the 2024 elections, many young people were disillusioned, feeling voting is a waste of time because leaders misuse public resources. We must change that perception,” he said.

He also cautioned that ignoring accountability could threaten national stability. “Ghana is not immune to coups or civilian uprisings. If the political class does not get its act together, such scenarios are possible,” President Mahama added.

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Speaking in an exclusive interview with Nana Kwadwo Jantuah on NhyiraFm’s Morning show, he explained that the Crown Agency in the UK, which previously managed short courses for Ghanaian beneficiaries, has vanished, deepening concerns over accountability in the scheme.

“Ghana currently owes over one billion cedis in scholarships in the UK. This has to be paid to allow beneficiaries to access their tuition,” he stated. “The Crown Agency in the UK, which was responsible for organizing short courses for beneficiaries, has disappeared.”

Citing an audit report, Mr. Asafo Agyei said the previous government administration prioritized funding for short courses while neglecting regular academic programs, a practice that undermined the Secretariat’s core mandate.

“I called for an audit into suspected scandals at the Secretariat. The report shows that the previous administration prioritized paying for short courses while avoiding regular academic programs,” he indicated.

He further clarified that the Secretariat is not mandated to bear the cost of dependents who accompany beneficiaries abroad. However, he alleged that his predecessor illegally sponsored dependents and paid them monthly stipends, in direct abuse of office.

“The National Scholarship Secretariat is not responsible for the cost of any dependent who accompanies a beneficiary. However, my predecessors paid billions of cedis to sponsor beneficiaries which is unnecessary cost to the state,” he said.

Mr. Asafo Agyei also disclosed that some appointees under President Akufo-Addo’s government were issued authority letters for 10-year visas to pursue short courses lasting only two weeks.

The charges, filed today at the High Court (Criminal Division), include wilfully causing financial loss to the state under the Criminal Offences Act, conspiracy to commit a crime through the intentional dissipation of public funds, and intentional dissipation of public funds under the Public Property Protection Decree.

Prosecutors allege that in February 2019, the accused authorized a $2 million payment from GIIF to Africa Investor Holdings Limited for preliminary work on the Sky Train project—a system that was never built. The payment was reportedly made without proper board approval.

The Sky Train project, initiated in 2018 as a public-private partnership for an urban rail system in Accra, involved a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Railways Development, Africa Investor Holdings, and GIIF.

However, investigations revealed that the $2 million disbursement lacked due diligence and violated GIIF’s governance protocols.

Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine stated that the accused acted outside their mandate, causing significant financial harm to the state. “The payment was unauthorized, and the project never materialized. This is a clear case of financial misconduct,” the charge sheet stated.

The case will proceed in the High Court, with the AG’s office indicating that some GIIF board members have agreed to testify as prosecution witnesses.

This prosecution forms part of the government’s broader crackdown on financial malfeasance, following earlier warnings of pending charges in both the Sky Train and National Service Scheme (NSS) ghost names scandals.

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Alhassan was arrested, along with two others, by the police and charged with offences including offensive conduct conducive to a breach of peace.

However, the court, presided over by Prince Osei Owusu, struck out the case and discharged the accused for want of prosecution, following the failure of the prosecution to prosecute the case.

When the case was called, the prosecution did not appear, prompting the accused’s counsel, Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, to request that the charge sheet be struck out for want of prosecution.

The magistrate, who had previously warned in August that failure to call witnesses would result in the case being struck out, did indeed strike out the charge sheet and discharged the accused persons due to the prosecution’s inaction.

In the 2021 Auditor-General’s report, irregularities at BOST were uncovered, including allegations that the BOST board chairman created three companies to compete for BOST contracts, leading to scandals amounting to $3 million.

The accused persons were arrested for failing to alert the police about their intended demonstration. Alhassan pleaded not guilty to the charge of failing to notify the police of a special event contrary to Section 1 of the Public Order Act, 1994 (Act 491) when he led a demonstration at BOST’s Dworwulu premises without prior notice.

Alhassan, along with Ali Shaku and Osman Salia, faced charges including conspiracy. Shaku and Salia also faced additional charges of abetment. They all denied the charge of offensive conduct conducive to a breach of peace contrary to Section 207 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

According to the brief facts presented to the court by the prosecution, the complainant, Mr Emmanuel Darko is the Facility Manager of BOST Company, Dzowulu. Yahaya Alhassan, the first accused, is a journalist residing at Mamobi, while Ali Shaku (second accused) and Osman Salia (third accused) are porters living at Mallam Atta.

The prosecution stated that on November 22, 2022, the accused persons drove into the premises of the BOST Company and requested to see the Director of BOST, Mr Edwin Alfred Provencal.

When informed that he was unavailable, they began making noise. Alhassan shouted and displayed a banner with the caption “The New Ghana Social Justice Forum” and the inscription “High Fuel Prices mean Ghana Can’t Drive; Edwin Alfred Provencal, MD of BOST, Come Clean for the $3M Fraud and Loot Shared at the Expense of the Mass Unemployed Youth and Kayaye Girls.”

Shaku allegedly shouted in Hausa, while Salia filmed the scene with a camera. Their actions attracted workers and outsiders to the premises.

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Joseph Appiah, 25, Stephen Nimako Ansong, 24 and Dr Kwadwo Owusu Ayeh, a 58-year-old Senior Hall Tutor, have been jointly charged with conspiracy and 32 counts of defrauding by false pretences.

Appiah and Nimako have been additionally charged with abetment of criminal offence, namely corruption of and by public officer.

Dr Ayeh is also facing an additional charge of corruption by a public officer.

The three accused persons have pleaded not guilty.

The court presided over by Mr Isaac Addo has admitted them to bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 each, with a surety each.

The trial judge ordered the prosecution to comply with the rules of disclosures and adjourned the matter to July 30, 2024.

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer, told the court that the complainant, Professor Gordon Awandare, was a Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon.

It said Appian and Ansong were level 400 students at the University and Dr Ayeh, a lecturer and Senior Hall Tutor of Dr Hilla Liman Hall at the same University.

Chief Inspector Lawer said on October 17, 2023, the complainant petitioned the Accra Regional Police Command to conduct investigations into alleged ongoing bed-selling at Dr Hilla Liman Hall of the University.

The prosecution told the court that the complainant alleged that some students and staff of the University were demanding and collecting money from students of the University under the pretext of allocating rooms and beds to students at the said hall.

The prosecutor said on October 18, 2023, a team of detectives from the Accra Regional Criminal Investigations Department led by a former Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Emmanuel Osei-Agbogah, visited the University of Ghana to commence with investigations into the matter.

During investigations, 32 students who fell victim to the scheme were identified and contacted, and they confirmed that Appiah and Ansong demanded and collected various sums of money ranging from GH¢2,000 and GH¢2,500 from them and assured them that beds and rooms would be allocated to them.

Appiah and Ansong were arrested and during interrogation, they admitted that they were engaged in an accommodation and bed selling deal with Dr Ayeh.

The prosecution said it was also discovered Dr Ayeh after assuming office conspired with Ansong to search for students in need of accommodation and beds at the Dr Hilla Liman Hall.

The prosecutor said Ansong also informed Appiah to look for prospective students.

The Court heard that the accused persons succeeded in collecting a total amount of GH₵106,800 from 32 students under the pretext of offering them accommodation and beds at Dr Hilla Liman hall, but failed.

The prosecution said Ansong had refunded GH¢30,000.

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The Education Ministry has vowed to deal with head teachers who are involved in pseudo placement in various schools following the implantation of government’s double track system.

The policy splits a class into two streams with one starting while the other waits.

So a General Arts class of say 98 students will be divided to have a first batch of 46 students known as the Green Track and the other known as the Gold Track.

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Green Track have begun the academic year while the Gold Track will replace them on November 8, 2018.

The policy has become necessary because government does not have enough infrastructure to accommodate the huge enrollment rates since it implemented its free SHS policy.

The double track is being implemented in at least 400 out of more than 670 public schools.

But there were reports that some head teachers in some schools are engaging in what is termed as pseudo placement and have refused to follow due process.

For instance, some students with the Green Track who are supposed to begin their academic year have been asked to stay home and allow students with the Gold track to begin.

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But speaking on Adom FM’s Morning Show “Dwaso Nsem” Wednesday, the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Education, Ekow Vincent Assafuah, said the Ministry is fully aware of such issue.

He said his outfit will initiate investigations into such acts and deal with head teachers found culpable.

“We have heard of such issues that some headteachers are involved in pseudo placement in schools and I can assure you that we will investigate and deal with these activities. It’s not healthy. Every student is equal and we want every student to be treated as such” he said.

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He, however, expressed optimism that the system will be beneficial to Ghanaians and not destroy the educational system as the professional naysayers are predicting.

The victim, a 21-year-old Home Economics student writing the ongoing West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), is at the centre of the sex scandal, with the videos fast going viral on the campus and in the metropolis.

In the explicit video recordings, the victim is seen lying prostrate and accommodating the four young men believed to be in their early 20s in turns in a wooden structure located at Community 5, Tema.

The tapes were said to have been recorded secretly by the boys with a mobile phone the same day.

After the purported sexual intercourses, the guys allegedly gave the girl an amount of GH¢10 to buy a contraceptive to avoid being pregnant.

The over three videos footages in possession of DAILY GUIDE and making the rounds in the metropolis, has reportedly caused consternation among the girl’s colleagues and parents.

Checks revealed that two of the guys are SHS graduates from a private school in Tema, a Form 2 student of a junior high school (JHS) and a senior of the girl, Douglas, who completed his education last year from the renowned Christian school.

Douglas was said to be the supposed boyfriend of the victim who reportedly invited her to the location for a serious discussion, leading to the ordeal she went through.

Police in the Tema Region are said to have gotten hold of the videos which have allegedly left a public security officer in an uncomfortable situation as a result of the officer’s supposed involvement in circumstances surrounding the videos.

source: Daily Guide