The Office of the Auditor General has directed two former senior officials of the National Service Authority to refund GH¢2.4 billion to the state after a sweeping forensic audit uncovered what investigators describe as years of deliberate financial manipulation.
The audit, which reviewed NSA operations from January 2018 to December 2024, concludes that the scheme was carefully built to drain resources intended for National Service Personnel.
Auditor General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu told the Daily Graphic that former Director General Osei Assibey Antwi and his deputy, Gifty Oware Mensah, played central roles in the network that channelled huge sums into questionable transactions.
He explained that the evidence shows a pattern of actions taken with full awareness of their consequences on public finances.
“We cannot overlook the volume of funds that went into private pockets. The country deserves to recover what was unlawfully taken,” he said.
The report reveals that more than half of the total amount, about GH¢169 million, was paid to a single financial institution through 151 unexplained transactions.
Auditors found no contracts, no board approvals and no proof of goods or services. Some of the payments were routed through names that masked their true purpose.
Investigators also discovered that the two senior officials enrolled themselves as service personnel and collected monthly allowances in addition to their salaries.
One suspect is alleged to have admitted to withdrawing funds regularly and handing them over to a deputy director. Another person involved in developing the portal reportedly confessed to playing a part in the scheme.
The audit also cites payments to underage and overage individuals, with one supposed beneficiary recorded as 1,027 years old.
The surcharge process against all implicated persons has begun and will run alongside ongoing criminal proceedings.
