The Accra High Court, presided over by Kizita Naa Koowa Quarshie, has adjourned the criminal trial of former National Service Authority (NSA) Executive Director, Osei Assibey Antwi, to May 13, 2026.
The adjournment follows a request by the prosecution for additional time to complete the filing of outstanding disclosures in the ongoing “ghost names” scandal case. The accused is facing 21 charges, including causing financial loss to the state amounting to more than GH¢431.8 million.
During proceedings on April 13, the prosecution, led by Dufie Prempeh, informed the court that a set of disclosures—comprising approximately 49 documents with attachments—had been filed earlier in the day. However, additional materials remain outstanding, prompting a request for a brief adjournment to finalise the process.
Counsel for the defence, Ralph Poku-Adusei, opposed the proposed timeline, arguing that the prosecution had taken considerable time to prepare its documents and that the defence should be granted adequate time to review them. He therefore requested a one-month adjournment.
In her ruling, Justice Quarshie granted a three-week adjournment, directing the prosecution to ensure timely service of all disclosures to the defence ahead of the next hearing date.
In a related application, the defence successfully sought a variation of the accused’s bail conditions, requesting that he be allowed to report to the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI) office in Kumasi instead of Accra. The prosecution did not oppose the request, and the court granted the variation.
Mr. Assibey Antwi, who served as NSA Director from September 2021 to January 2025, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The prosecution alleges that the case stems from a scheme involving payments to non-existent and unverified personnel, based on findings from investigations that included a performance audit by the Auditor-General.
He remains on bail under existing conditions, including reporting to the BNI twice monthly, surrendering his travel documents, and being placed on a watch list. The case has undergone several procedural developments, including amendments to the charge sheet and a reduction in the bail sum from an initial GH¢800 million to GH¢120 million with two sureties.
