The High Court in Accra has rebuked the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for detaining and interrogating accused persons and their lawyers in the ongoing National Petroleum Authority (NPA) case. The court’s criticism came after lead counsel for the first accused, Joseph Dindiok Kpemka, informed the court that his client was detained for over five hours when he reported to the OSP on January 20, 2026.
According to GhanaWeb, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay expressed displeasure at the development, stating that the OSP cannot detain or investigate accused persons over a matter already before the court and set down for trial. The court was told that the accused persons were detained at the OSP while reporting as part of bail conditions earlier imposed by the court.
The OSP had charged former NPA CEO Mustapha Abdul-Hamid and nine others with 54 corruption charges, including extortion and money laundering. The accused are alleged to have orchestrated a scheme to extort over GH¢280 million from petroleum transporters and oil marketing companies between 2022 and December 2024.
Principal State Attorney Adelaide Kobiri-Woode assured the court that steps would be taken to prevent a recurrence of such conduct, describing it as “unacceptable”. The court subsequently varied the bail conditions of the accused, reducing their reporting schedule at the OSP from weekly to once a month, effective March 2026.
The case has sparked intense interest, with the OSP pursuing six high-profile corruption cases as courts reopen. The court has directed the investigator to submit monthly returns on the reporting status of the accused and exempted February from the reporting requirement, citing weekly case management conferences scheduled ahead of the trial.
The OSP has reaffirmed its commitment to investigating and prosecuting corruption without fear or favor.
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Author: Korkor Anumu
