The former Director-General of the National Service Authority (NSA), Osei Assibey Antwi, has been granted bail by the High Court in Accra in the sum of GH¢800 million.
The bail comes with six sureties, each required to justify the bail amount with landed property equivalent to the sum. The sureties are to deposit copies of their national identification cards with the registry of the court.
The court, presided over by Justice Kizita Naa Koowa Quarshie, also ordered that Mr. Assibey Antwi be placed on the Ghana Immigration Service Stop List and submit all relevant passports in his name to the registry of the court. He is further required to report to the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) on the first and third Wednesdays of every month.
This followed his plea of not guilty to 14 counts of charges on Thursday, October 30, 2025, comprising seven counts of causing financial loss, six counts of stealing, and one count of money laundering, contrary to sections 179A(1) and 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and section 1(2)(c) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044).
During proceedings, counsel for the accused, Osei Owusu, pleaded with the court to grant his client bail, stating that he had been on enquiry bail for a long period without breaching any of its conditions. Counsel argued that the accused had been “crucified in the media unjustifiably” and remained an innocent Ghanaian citizen eager to prove his innocence before the court.
“My Lady, the accused remains an innocent Ghanaian citizen and is in a hurry to prove his innocence before this honourable court,” counsel told the court, assuring of his client’s full cooperation for an expeditious trial.
Deputy Attorney-General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai did not oppose the bail application but urged the court to consider the gravity of the offence and the circumstances surrounding the case. He stated that under the accused’s tenure, an amount of GH¢1.5 billion could not be accounted for, describing it as one of the highest precedents in such cases.
Dr. Srem-Sai further submitted that while the law presumes the accused innocent until proven guilty, the court must assess whether he is likely to appear for trial. He expressed concern over the accused’s recent conduct when he was expected to appear before the court, suggesting it raised doubts about his willingness to attend future proceedings.
According to the Attorney-General’s Office, between August 2021 and February 2025, Mr. Assibey Antwi allegedly authorized payments totaling GH¢500.86 million in allowances to over 60,000 non-existent (ghost) national service personnel.
The prosecution has been directed to file their evidence, and the case has been adjourned to December 2, 2025, for a Case Management Conference (CMC).
