Crime & Punishment of Friday, 19 December 2025

Source: GNA

Hamid, others granted GH¢2m bail in Court

Mustapha Hamid is the former Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority Mustapha Hamid is the former Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority

An Accra High Court has granted bail of GH¢2 million with three sureties each to Mustapha Hamid, former Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority, and two others in an alleged extortion and money‑laundering case.

The Court directed that one surety for each accused must be a public servant earning a net salary of GH¢5,000, while another must deposit landed property documents at the Court’s Registry.

All sureties are required to submit valid national identity cards.

The accused are to report to the Court’s Registry twice monthly, on the first and last Tuesday, with the Registrar filing returns to the Court. In default, a bench warrant will be issued.

Seven other accused persons were also granted bail of GH¢2 million each with three sureties, including public servants earning a net salary of GH¢3,000, and required to deposit valid identity cards.

They are to report to the Registry on the same schedule until the case is concluded.

The Court instructed the prosecution to file all documents by January 12, 2025, and scheduled a four‑day case management conference.

It adopted earlier bail terms, noting the difficulties the accused faced in meeting previous conditions.

Counsel for the accused said their clients had complied with bail requirements, including depositing passports with the Court’s Registry and reporting to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) from July to December 2025.

Hamid and nine others, now facing 54 charges in a GH¢291 million criminal case transferred to High Court Four, are accused of extortion, abuse of office and money laundering.

The OSP has frozen assets exceeding GH¢100 million and US$100,000, including real estate, lands, fuel stations and tankers, with more assets being traced.

The alleged accomplices are Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Wendy Newman, Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah, Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited and Kings Energy Limited.