Former NSA boss Assibey Antwi’s bail amount slashed by GH¢177 million

The Accra High Court has reduced the bail amount of former Executive Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Osei Assibey Antwi, from GH¢800 million to GH¢623 million while maintaining all other bail conditions.

The decision followed an application by Mr Antwi’s legal team, who argued that the original amount was excessive and practically impossible to meet. His lawyers contended that the GH¢800 million bail would require the provision of multiple high-value properties in Accra or over a thousand houses in Kumasi, which they described as unrealistic.

They further noted that the primary purpose of bail, which is to prevent flight risk, had already been satisfied, as Mr Antwi had surrendered his passports and been placed on a no-flight list.

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However, the prosecution, led by Dufie Prempeh from the Office of the Attorney-General, opposed the application, maintaining that the initial bail terms were fair and necessary to ensure the accused remained available for trial.

In delivering its ruling, the court acknowledged the scale of the alleged financial losses but accepted the defence’s argument that the original amount was excessive. The court therefore reduced the bail to GH¢623 million while upholding all other conditions, including property bonds and sureties.

Mr Antwi faces fourteen counts of alleged financial crimes totalling more than GH¢600 million, said to have occurred between August 2021 and February 2025.

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The charges include causing financial loss to the Republic, stealing, and money laundering, contrary to the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044).

Prosecutors allege that the former NSA boss authorised payments to over 60,000 ghost national service personnel, resulting in a financial loss of GH¢500,861,744.02 to the state. He is further accused of diverting various sums from NSA accounts, including GH¢3.6 million, GH¢516,000 and GH¢2 million, into unauthorised transactions.

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According to the prosecution, Mr Antwi also transferred GH¢8.2 million from the Authority’s control account to his personal e-zwich card, knowing the funds were proceeds of unlawful activity. In addition, he is alleged to have misused over GH¢100 million meant for the Kumawu Farm Project by approving multiple withdrawals that were never applied to their intended purpose.