Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that eight individuals implicated in the National Service Scheme (NSS) scandal have approached his office to negotiate plea deals and are willing to testify against other parties involved in the case.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, July 28, Dr. Ayine stated that the move could significantly advance the prosecution process.
The Attorney-General revealed that the formal filing of charges has been temporarily delayed due to fresh evidence of financial irregularities involving an account at the Bank of Ghana, allegedly linked to former National Service Authority (NSA) Director-General, Mr. Osei Assibey.
“The National Service Authority scandal case was due to be filed last week. However, we stumbled upon evidence of malfeasance involving an account at the Bank of Ghana,” he explained.
According to Dr. Ayine, GH¢189 million had been transferred into the account, with GH¢80 million currently unaccounted for. He added that two cheques linked to Mr. Assibey were used to withdraw close to GH¢2 million.
In light of the new evidence, the Attorney-General’s Office is awaiting further documentation from the Bank of Ghana, the Ministry of Finance, and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department.
Dr. Ayine confirmed that three former NSA officials are among those seeking plea agreements. He also noted that several vendors and service providers tied to the scheme have expressed readiness to testify as prosecution witnesses.
Reaffirming his office’s commitment to justice, he emphasized, “No individual found culpable will be shielded from accountability.”
