NSA scandal: Court admits bank documents between Gifty Oware, ADB
The High Court in Accra has resumed the trial of former Executive Deputy Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Gifty Oware-Mensah, who is standing trial for allegedly stealing from the authority.
The court yesterday admitted multiple documents relating to requests and transfer of funds between the NSA and the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), monies the prosecution alleged were unlawfully transferred from the state.
The case had been adjourned for a lengthy period following several applications filed by counsel for the accused challenging a court order directing her to file a list of witnesses she intended to call in her defence.
Mrs Oware-Mensah is accused of causing financial loss of more than GH¢31 million to the state.
Among her charges is allegedly causing the NSA to pay GH¢6.95 million as interest on a GH¢31.50 million loan, said to have been improperly authorised for the Blocks of Life Consult, from which the prosecution claims she benefited.
She is also facing allegations of stealing and laundering GH¢31.50 million by allegedly transferring the funds from the NSA hire-purchase escrow account with the ADB to the Blocks of Life Consult “for the purpose of disguising the illicit origin of the money, knowing it to be proceeds of crime.”
First witness
The prosecution’s first witness, the Head of Consumer Finance at the ADB, Gilbert Sebe-Yeboah, resumed his evidence-in-chief after first taking the witness stand on January 22, 2026.
During the proceedings, the witness tendered multiple documents, said to have emanated from Mrs Oware-Mensah, to the bank, including requests for the transfer of funds.
Other exhibits included written instructions allegedly issued by the accused regarding the transfer of monies disbursed into the NSA hire-purchase account.
Mr Sebe-Yeboah also tendered a pen drive containing a bank consumer flyer and an Excel file comprising 5,890 national service personnel, said to represent the first batch of personnel submitted to the bank by the accused person.
Additionally, the court admitted a Master Agreement between the ADB and the National Service Authority dated March 5, 2024.
Letter admitted
A letter allegedly written by Mrs Oware-Mensah directing the ADB to transfer funds to the Blocks of Life Consult was also admitted into evidence.
Meanwhile, the court directed the prosecution to provide clearer and more legible copies of the documents admitted into evidence.
Counsel for the accused, Gary Nimako Marfo, raised a series of objections to the documents, arguing that some of the exhibits were unclear and difficult to read.
“The document, which the witness intends to tender, is not legible, undated, not the original copy and in fact, the supposed letterhead which he claims was authored by the accused person is so faint that it is not even readable,” he said.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, admitted the documents, subject to the prosecution filing clearer copies before the court.
Cross-examination
During cross-examination, Mr Nimako suggested to the witness that he did not sign any Master Agreement with the accused in his capacity as Head of Consumer Finance at the ADB.
The witness disagreed and explained that the February 20, 2023, document referred to as a tripartite agreement was the same as the Master Agreement.
“The testimony you gave this court on January 22, 2026, that your good self signed a Master Agreement dated February 20, 2023, is false,” he said.
“This statement is not false. I did not say I signed on behalf of the ADB. I said I signed a document,” the witness responded.
Counsel further suggested that the witness merely witnessed the agreement and did not sign it for or on behalf of the ADB.
In response, the witness maintained, “I have stated clearly that I did not sign on behalf of the ADB and that I signed as being part of the agreement.”
The case has been adjourned to May 20, 2026, for further cross-examination of the witness.
