US$40m in steel trunks: OSP busts forex counterfeiting syndicate in Accra, Tema

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has busted a major foreign currency counterfeiting syndicate in Accra and the commercial hub of Tema.

In a one-paragraph announcement (December 15) posted on social media as part of updates on cases that it pursuing, the OSP said the amounts seized came up to US$40 million.

Under the heading ‘Prevention of Corruption’ and subheading ‘Disruption of Foreign Currency Manufacturing Network,’ the OSP wrote of the undated operation:

“OSP has disrupted a syndicate involved in the production of substantial amount of counterfeited foreign currency. Seizures were made in two warehouses located in Accra and Tema, where a substantial amount of counterfeited forty million dollars ($40,000,000.00) was discovered concealed in steel trunks."

Other corruption prevention cases the OSP is involved in were also part of the post that had the caption: "Since August 2021, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (#OSP) has been actively engaged in a range of activities as part of its comprehensive fourfold mandate, which includes investigations, prosecution, asset recovery and management, and the prevention of corruption."

It is the first time the office is disclosing this particular operation to the public.

The state-run Daily Graphic in a report stated that sources had told them that it was a highly classified and well-coordinated operation.

Someone is suspected to have given a tip-off to the currency operators about the OSP's operation and planned swoop. This enabled the suspects to bolt in a hurry and didn’t have much time to pack everything on short notice, their report added.

SARA

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