A key prosecution witness in the trial of Gifty Oware-Mensah has admitted he lacks evidence that his Ghana Card was used to register a company linked to the former National Service Authority (NSA) Deputy Director-General.
George Annan, a Bolt driver, made this admission under cross-examination in Accra's Criminal Court 4. Annan previously told the court that investigators informed him his Ghana Card was used to register Blocks of Life Consult Limited. However, when pressed by defence counsel Gary Nimako Marfo, he conceded he possessed no evidence to back this serious allegation.
This testimony creates a significant challenge for the prosecution's case. It pertains to allegations against a prominent public official. The broader context involves charges of willfully causing financial loss to the state and money laundering, totalling more than GHS 38 million. These charges stem from alleged ghost names in the NSA database.
Ms. Oware-Mensah faces five charges, including theft and using public office for personal gain. Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine stated her alleged actions resulted in substantial financial losses for the government. The alleged scheme involved generating 9,934 fictitious National Service personnel. Prosecutors claim Ms. Oware-Mensah unlawfully profited from allowances paid to these non-existent individuals.
Mr. Annan testified that Blocks of Life Consult Limited was the company investigators mentioned. Defence counsel pointed out that this company was registered on April 27, 2016. Its shareholders were Daniel Quophi Amoateng and Paul Boateng. Mr. Annan obtained his Ghana Card in 2020. This timing means the company was registered four years before he acquired his identification card.
When confronted with this fact, Mr. Annan stated he was unaware of the company's registration date. He maintained he only repeated what investigators had told him during his interrogation at the BNI. His statement to the court reiterated: "When I went to the BNI, upon interrogation, they told me that my Ghana Card was used to register a company like that. It was based on that that I wrote my statement."
The witness further agreed that 2016 came before 2020. This highlights a clear inconsistency in the initial claim that his Ghana Card was used for the registration. The defence's cross-examination strategy has successfully undermined a specific aspect of the witness's testimony.
This new development could impact the credibility of other prosecution witnesses. It introduces doubt about the reliability of information gathered during early investigations. The judge, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, will weigh this evidence carefully. Analysts will watch to see if prosecutors introduce new evidence or strategies to counter this setback. The trial continues to explore the alleged financial misconduct at the NSA.