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The Criminal Court 4 Division of the High Court in Accra has granted bail to former Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, and nine others after adopting—and modifying—the core bail conditions earlier set by Criminal Court 3.
The court noted that although the previous charge sheet had been withdrawn and replaced with a new, expanded 54-count charge sheet, the accused persons had already fulfilled significant obligations under the earlier bail regime. It therefore held that maintaining the original terms with necessary variations was “in the interest of justice.”
Key Variations to the Bail Terms
Under the revised bail conditions, Dr. Abdul-Hamid, Jacob Kwamina Amuah, and Wendy Newman must now report twice monthly to the Registrar of the Court—on the first and last Tuesday of every month—instead of reporting to investigators.
The Registrar is required to submit monthly compliance updates to the court. The judge cautioned that any breach of the reporting schedule would trigger an immediate bench warrant, whether or not the court is in session.
The three remain on GH¢2 million bail each with three sureties, including:
- One public servant earning not less than GH¢5,000 net monthly salary
- One surety required to deposit documents to landed property
Their passports remain in the custody of the court registry.
The remaining accused persons—company directors and associated entities—also remain on GH¢2 million bail with three sureties each, but the required public servant surety must earn not less than GH¢3,000 net monthly salary. They are also required to report to the registry on the same bi-monthly schedule until the case concludes.
Pleas Taken on 54 Fresh Charges
Before issuing its ruling on bail, the court took pleas from all 10 accused persons on a new 54-count charge sheet. The charges include:
- Extortion
- Using public office for profit
- Money laundering
- Conspiracy to commit the substantive offences
All 10 accused persons pleaded not guilty to every count.
The accused include former NPA CEO Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, UPPF Coordinator Jacob Kwamina Amuah, NPA staff member Wendy Newman, company directors Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Bright Bediako-Mensah, and Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah, as well as three companies—PropNest Ltd., Kel Logistics Ltd., and Kings Energy Ltd.
Alleged GH¢291 Million Extortion Scheme
According to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), the First, Second, and Third accused persons allegedly orchestrated an extortion scheme between 2022 and December 2024, unlawfully collecting GH¢291,574,087.19 and US$332,407 from oil marketing companies and bulk oil transporters.
Investigators claim the scheme was initiated by Dr. Abdul-Hamid, executed operationally by Amuah, and facilitated by Newman, who allegedly served as the primary recipient of the funds.
The OSP further alleges that portions of the proceeds were laundered through the three accused companies to acquire lands, residential properties, fuel stations, and trucks—allegedly to conceal the illicit origins of the funds.
Next Steps in the Case
The prosecution has been directed to file all necessary disclosures by January 12, 2026, with the Case Management Conference (CMC) scheduled for January 19, 2026.
