Corruption Watch Ghana, an initiative by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has lauded the Attorney General for dragging five officials to court over financial malfeasance at the National Communications Authority (NCA).

“We commend the AG’s Department for taking this step. Corruption Watch will keenly monitor the court process to its final conclusion. We trust that justice will prevail for the individuals, the state and people of Ghana,” it said in a statement.

Below is the full statement:

Corruption Watch Ghana has taken notice of the action taken by the Attorney General’s (AG) Department to arraign before court, persons allegedly involved in the $6million National Communications Authority (NCA) corruption case.

Media reports earlier in the year, indicated that the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) was investigating a case at the NCA involving the purchase of a listening device to monitor suspected terrorists although there was no proof that the device was delivered. It was later revealed that the NCA officials indicted in this case had withdrawn an amount of $4 million from the accounts of the Authority and that could not be accounted for.

In November 2017, Corruption Watch Ghana followed up on the case and the AG’s Department indicated it was preparing a docket to be sent to court.

On Friday, December 22, 2017, the AG’s Department arraigned before court, five persons accused of their alleged involvement in the $6million NCA scandal.

The 1st accused person, Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, is a former Board Chairman of the National Communications Authority (NCA); the 2nd accused person, William Matthew Tetteh Tevie, is a former Director-General (DG) of NCA; the 3rd accused person, Nana Owusu-Ensaw is a former Board member of NCA who served as chairman of the Finance Sub-Committee of the NCA Board; the 4th accused person, Alhaji Salifu Mimina Osman is a former Deputy National Security Co-Ordinator and also a former Board member of NCA; the 5th accused person, George Derek Oppong, is a Director of Infraloks Development Ltd (IDL) a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Ghana.

Mr. Tevie alongside the former board chairman Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, Alhaji Osman a former Deputy National Security Coordinator and a private citizen George Oppong have been charged for willfully causing financial loss to the State Contrary to section 23(1) and section 179(3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act 1960, Act 29. The five persons have also been charged with 16 other offenses.

We commend the AG’s Department for taking this step. Corruption Watch will keenly monitor the court process to its final conclusion. We trust that justice will prevail for the individuals, the state and people of Ghana.

About Corruption Watch Ghana

Corruption Watch Ghana is an initiative by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), and a coalition of anti-corruption civil society organizations including; Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) and Joy FM as our main media partner.

Our mission is to promote integrity in public life by demanding and activating the responsiveness and accountability of all actors in the anti-corruption space. We work to ensure corruption cases are investigated, suspects prosecuted and proceeds recovered. We seek to make corruption risky and unattractive, and close opportunities which breed corruption.