Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has explained the government’s delay in filing charges in the National Service Secretariat (NSS) scandal, citing the emergence of significant new financial evidence.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series at Jubilee House on Monday, 28th July, Dr Ayine disclosed that the expected legal action was put on hold after investigators uncovered fresh evidence of financial malfeasance involving a Bank of Ghana (BoG) account.
“The NSS scandal case was due to be filed last week as promised, when we stumbled upon evidence of malfeasance involving an account at the BoG, to which has been transferred an amount of GH¢189 million,” he said.
Out of that total, he revealed, GH¢80 million remains unaccounted for, raising major concerns about the integrity of the transactions.
Dr Ayine further disclosed that two suspicious cheques bearing the name and account details of the former Director-General, Mr Osei Asigbey, were discovered. These cheques were reportedly used to withdraw close to GH¢2 million from the account in question.
Due to the seriousness of these revelations, the Attorney General said the decision was taken to pause the filing of charges until all necessary documentation has been received from relevant state agencies.
“We have therefore halted the filing of charges so as to await the receipt of the evidence from the relevant state agencies, including the BoG, the Ministry of Finance, and the Controller and Accountant General’s Department,” he explained.
Dr Ayine noted that the Bank of Ghana is cooperating with the investigation and had committed to submitting key bank statements imminently.
“As I speak, the BoG signalled to me that this morning, they are going to deliver the entire bank statement for my attention,” he said.
The Attorney General also revealed that eight implicated in the scandal have begun seeking out-of-court settlements.
“I am, however, happy to announce that at least eight suspects in this investigation have approached my office for plea negotiation, including three former officers of the National Service Authority,” he added.
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