Mustapha Hamid, 6 Others Get GH¢14m Bail

Dr. Mustapha Abdul Hamid

 

“My Lady, I am not guilty,” was the only thing former Chief Executive of National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid constantly said as the court clerk read out the charges levelled against him and nine others by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in the ongoing alleged GH¢280 million extortion scheme trial.

Just like him, Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Wendy Newman, Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Bright Bediako-Mensah and Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah all pleaded not guilty to the 25 counts of conspiracy, extortion and money laundering levelled against them.

Their lawyers prayed the court to grant them bail pending the trial, indicating that they were already on OSP enquiry bail which they have all respected.

Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng did not oppose the application, but urged the court to impose conditions that will compel the accused persons to appear for the trial. He singled out Dr. Abdul-Hamid and Jacob Kwamina Amuah, indicating that they are flight risk.

Paul Bariga, counsel for the former NPA boss, refuted this claim and argued that nothing had been put before the court to suggest that the accused person contemplated leaving the jurisdiction since he was granted bail by the OSP.

The court, presided over by Justice Mary Yanzuh, after listening to both sides, granted Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Jacob Kwamina Amuah, and Wendy Newman a bail of GH¢2 million each with two sureties each to be justified.

One surety must be a public servant earning a net salary of GH¢5,000 a month and must provide landed property in Accra.

Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Bright Bediako-Mensah, and Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah were granted a bail of GH¢2 million each with two sureties, one of whom must be justified with a landed property.

One surety must be a public officer earning not less than GH¢2,000 and must submit a valid ID card to the court’s registry.

In addition, all the accused persons are to deposit their passport at the court’s registry and must report to the OSP once every two weeks.

However, as of 6pm yesterday, only Dr. Abdul-Hamid had met his bail conditions, hence the other six were detained by the OSP.

Disclosures

Meanwhile, the court has directed the OSP to file its disclosures in one month and follow it up with witness statements of its witnesses.

The accused persons, on the other hand, are to file the names and addresses of all persons they will call to testify for them in case a prima facie has been made against them at the close of the prosecution’s case.

Justice Yanzuh added that if the accused persons intend to file an alibi, they should do so at the registry of the court. The case was adjourned to August 26.

Charges

Dr. Abdul-Hamid and six other individuals and three (3) companies have been charged by the OSP for their various alleged roles in an extortion scheme that resulted in them amassing an excess of GH¢280 million for themselves.

The three companies caught in the OSP’s alleged corruption and extortion web are Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited and Kings Energy Limited.

Court documents indicate that between 2022 and December 2024, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Jacob Kwamina Amuah and Wendy Newman, acting under the colour of their official duties, allegedly orchestrated and operated a criminal extortion scheme through which they unlawfully collected GH¢280,516,127.19 from petroleum transporters and oil marketing companies.

The OSP says the scheme, initiated by Abdul-Hamid who sold the idea of the criminal enterprise to Amuah, who also recruited Newman as the primary conduit for receiving the proceeds of the alleged crime.

From the proceeds, Amuah is alleged to have handed GH¢24 million directly to Abdul-Hamid between January and December 2024.

BY Gibril Abdul Razak