Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba
Former Chief Executive Officer of National Food and Buffer Stock Company Limited (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, have been charged by the Attorney General for allegedly stealing and causing financial loss to the state totaling GH¢78 million.
Charged along them is Richard Sam-Asante, who is said to be on the run, as well as The Ludiba Foundation and Energy Partners Limited, two companies related to the couple.
The accused persons are facing charges of stealing, fraudulently causing financial loss to the state, abetment of stealing, money laundering, defrauding by false pretences, intentional dissipation of public funds, using public office for profit, dishonestly receiving and intentionally causing financial loss to the state.
According to the charge sheet, Mr. Abdul-Wahab allegedly stole GH¢50.879 million from NAFCO by transferring it to James Tieku-Apawu, operating under the name Sawtina Enterprise, between February 2017 and February 2025.
Faiza Seidu Wuni allegedly laundered a total of GH¢34,608,834.62 knowing at the time of taking the money that it was acquired through a criminal enterprise.
She is also accused of dishonestly receiving GH¢4,401,831.58 from NAFCO between 2018 and 2023, knowing very well that the money was appropriated through stealing.
Richard Sam-Asante, on the other hand, has been charged for conspiring to steal GH¢5,495.748.36 from NAFCO between February 2017 and February 2019.
Court documents indicate that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) received tipoffs that Abdul-Wahab has, over the eight years that he was the CEO of NAFCO, embezzled hundreds of millions of Ghana Cedis from NAFCO and used the embezzled monies to acquire vast estates and businesses across the country and elsewhere.
The brief facts indicate that EOCO’s preliminary investigations revealed that almost GH¢78 million had moved from the bank accounts of NAFCO to Sawtina, and that these funds were transferred in a series of 86 transactions between October 2019 and September 2023.
It further indicates that the transfers were made from NAFCO into Sawtina’s bank account with the Republic Bank, Labone branch, where Abdul-Wahab maintains several bank accounts with the same bank relationship officer managing all the accounts.
The Attorney General says the relationship officer will testify for the prosecution in the course of the trial.
Subsequent investigations revealed that somewhere 2018, James Tieku-Apawu, the then Regional Manager at NAFCO, approached Abdul-Wahab and informed him of his desire to buy and supply foodstuff to NAFCO and he agreed.
Abdul-Wahab allegedly had James Tieku-Apawu’s business – Sawtina – quickly approved as a licensed buying company and immediately started trading with NAFCO.
Under interrogation, Tieku-Apawu allegedly admitted receiving a total of GH¢69,616,226.29 from NAFCO into Sawtina’s bank account, court documents point out.
“He, however, explained that only about 20% of that amount was for genuine supplies he made to NAFCO,” while EOCO’s investigations reveal that the remaining 80% of the bank transfers was for no supplies.
Investigations have established that more than GH¢50 million was transferred from Sawtina’s bank account back to Abdul-Wahab directly, to his other businesses, to his wife’s businesses, and for the acquisition of landed properties in prime areas in Accra.
The document further indicate that Abdul-Wahab allegedly caused GH¢4,401,831.58 to be paid from NAFCO’s funds to Alqarni Enterprise, although the company which is the personal trading name of his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, never supplied foodstuff to NAFCO.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak