OSP documents show Bawumia’s office 'stole' 10,000 bags of rice for Ramadan donations – NDC alleges

The National Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, has alleged that the Office of the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, stole 10,000 bags of imported rice which it used for Ramadan donations.

In a tweet shared on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, Sammy Gyamfi said that documents from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) showed that Bawumia's office used fabricated documents to steal the imported rice consignment from a businessman.

"According to the Special Prosecutor, the office of the Vice President, @MBawumia used fictitious documents to steal a businessman’s imported consignment of 10,000 bags of rice for Ramadan donations. ya 'iilahi!” parts of the tweet read.

The tweet had pictures of a purported charge sheet filed by the OSP at the Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra against four people.

One of the accused persons, James Keck Osei, is accused of corruption-related offences regarding the importation of rice.

“JAMES KECK OSEI, 49 years, in Accra in the Greater Accra Region and within the jurisdiction of this Court, being a suspect under investigation in respect of corruption and corruption-related offences regarding the importation from Thailand and auction processes of two hundred and fifty (250) metric tons of Lele rice, without lawful excuse, failed, within thirty (30) days, to comply with a notice to declare your property and income served on you by the Special Prosecutor, circa December 2022, under regulation 20(1) per Forms 11A and 11B of the First Schedule of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018 (LI. 2374), as specified in Form 12 of the First Schedule of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018 (L.I. 2374),” parts of the document read.

It can be recalled that OSP arrested and charged four public servants for failing to declare their sources of income.

In a series of tweets shared on Friday, February 10, 2023, the OSP said that the public servants charged included James Keck Osei, an administrator at the Office of the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; Issah Seidu, a staff at the National Insurance Commission; John Abban and Peter Archibold, who are both senior Officers with the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority.

“Four persons, 3 public servants and 1 civil servant have been arrested and charged by OSP for failing to comply and declare sources of income in contravention of regulation 20 of LI2374.

“Mr. Siedu works with National Insurance Commission, James works with Office of the Vice President as an administrator and John and Peter are senior Officers with the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority,” parts of the tweets read.

The Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra has granted three out of the four accused persons after they pleaded not guilty.

View Sammy Gyamfi’s tweet below:

According to the Special Prosecutor, the office of the Vice President, @MBawumia used fictitious documents to steal a businessman’s imported consignment of 10,000 bags of rice for Ramadan donations. ya 'iilahi! pic.twitter.com/YxBvW7sKAG

— Sammy Gyamfi (@SammyGyamfi_) February 14, 2023