Four public officials, including a former director at the Vice President’s Secretariat, have been charged with corruption in connection with an alleged plot to hijack ten containers of rice imported through the Tema Port.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has identified the accused as James Keck Osei, formerly with the Vice President’s Secretariat; Issah Seidu of the National Insurance Commission (NIC); and two senior customs officers — John Abban and Peter Archibold Hyde.
In a post shared on the OSP’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, the four individuals are said to have conspired to fraudulently claim ownership of rice imported from Thailand in 2022 by bypassing customs protocols.
Investigations by the OSP revealed that Seidu used falsified documentation — including a forged letter purportedly issued from the Office of the Vice President — to take control of the goods. The scheme was allegedly executed in collaboration with Osei and the customs officials, Abban and Hyde.
Although the rice had been lawfully imported with duties fully paid, the accused attempted to divert the goods for private gain by arranging for them to be auctioned to Seidu.
The conspiracy was eventually uncovered after internal checks and a High Court ruling brought the irregularities to light. The accused are expected to appear before court on Friday, June 27.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, the OSP has joined efforts to engage the media in strengthening public accountability. Selected journalists recently participated in a training session on asset recovery processes related to corruption and financial crimes.
The session, organized by the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) in partnership with GIABA, included presentations from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), and the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC).
Albert Akurugu, Director of Asset Recovery and Management at the OSP, educated participants on the legal framework that empowers the office to trace, freeze, and confiscate assets suspected to be proceeds of crime.
He emphasized that asset confiscation is a legitimate legal tool—not an arbitrary act—explaining that such processes support evidence gathering and prevent the dissipation of tainted assets.
“The media must raise public awareness, promote transparency, and hold institutions to account through accurate and responsible reporting,” Mr. Akurugu stated.
The session formed part of a broader strategy to strengthen collaboration between the media and law enforcement in tackling corruption and financial crimes in Ghana.
