The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has told the High Court in Accra that it has withdrawn charges against Albert Ankrah, the Director of Kel Logistics Limited, who was charged together with former Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, and eight others over the SML scandal.
Mr Ankrah, (4th Accused), had earlier pleaded not guilty, together with the other accused persons, including three companies, to a combined 54 criminal counts by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
They are accused of having misused their positions and engaged in money laundering activities, totalling GH¢291,574,087.19 and US$332,407.47.
The amended charge sheet, which has 54 criminal counts against officials of the NPA and several associated companies, is for alleged large-scale extortion, abuse of public office, and money laundering.
It is the case of the OSP that between December 2022 and December 2024, Dr Abdul-Hamid, Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund, and Wendy Newman, a staff member of the NPA Audit Department, allegedly used their positions to extort money from bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies without any lawful authority.
Per the brief facts, OSP’s investigations have revealed that the illicit funds were laundered through three companies, Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited, and Kings Energy Limited, allegedly owned or managed by some of the accused persons.
The funds were reportedly used to purchase and construct houses, acquire trucks for oil distribution, and build fuel stations in an attempt to conceal the proceeds.
In Court on Tuesday, March 9, when the case was called before the new judge, Justice Francis Apamgabonu Achiponga, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court judge, Adelaide Kubiri Woode, Principal Prosecutor, said they have dropped charges against the fourth accused.
She said before Justice Kocuvie-Tay, five Witness Statements had been filed, including two Witness Statements from Oil Marketing Companies, after which it was adjourned for Case Management Conference.
“We would’ve prayed for adoption of proceedings, however, the Republic was served with a Notice of Change of lawyer for the 4th Accused Person, Albert Ankrah, following which the 4th Accused Person and his lawyer now have engaged in some discussions with authorised officials of the prosecutors about the 4th Accused being misled into certain acts,” she said.
The Principal Prosecutor said the office has since taken a decision not to proceed with only the 4th AP, Albert Ankrah, but rather put Albert Ankrah before the court as a witness.
“This will have a significant effect on the charge sheet as well as the Witness Statements filed on the record too, as A4 (4th Accused) appeared in 12 out of the 54 counts.
“In view of these developments, the Republic deems it expedient to file a fresh charge sheet with the other 9 APs without the Fourth Accused.
“We will subsequently file appropriate processes with the guidance and direction of the court. Under these circumstances, the Republic will not be able to proceed with the CMC,” she told the Court.
Counsel for the fourth accused, Louis Wisdom Kudzo, corroborated the position of the OSP and said upon going through the full document, he has advised “my client to engage the OSP, and we have done same. I’m confirming what OSP is saying.”
Joseph Kpemka, Counsel for the First Accused Staff, said, “We have no problem except to say that we first appeared before the court 9 months ago, and we’re here again.”
In light of the developments, the case has been adjourned to March 24, 2026.
Brief Facts
Per the brief facts of the case, the First Accused person was the Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), following his appointment on July 1, 2021.
The Second Accused person was the Coordinator of the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) under NPA.
The investigations revealed that between 2022 and December 2024, the First, Second, and Third Accused persons, under the color of their office as officers of NPA, set up an extortionate scheme by which they unlawfully obtained an amount of GH¢291,574,087.19 and US$332,407.47 from bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies, which they knew they were not lawfully authorized to obtain.
The scheme was contrived by the First Accused person, who sold the idea of the criminal adventure to the Second Accused person, who also recruited the Third Accused person as the primary conduit for receiving the proceeds of the crime.
A total amount of GH¢24,000,000.00 was handed directly by the Second Accused person to the First Accused person between January 2024 and December 2024, being proceeds of the criminal extortion scheme. Within the same period, the First Accused person also directly received the sum of GH¢230,000.00 from one oil haulage company.
The investigations further revealed that the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Accused persons, together with one Osei Tutu Adjei – Director of the Ninth Accused company (currently at large) – with the complicity of the Second and Third Accused persons, established and ran the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Accused companies, by which they proceeded to unlawfully launder the proceeds of the criminal adventure of the First, Second, and Third Accused persons through various transfers for the acquisition of movable and immovable property, for the purpose of concealing or disguising the illicit origin of the proceeds of the criminal enterprise and to evade the legal consequences of the unlawful activity.
End
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
