Lawyers for former Director-General of the National Signals Bureau (NSB), Kwabena Adu-Boahene, have strongly denied allegations that he diverted state funds into a personal bank account, describing the claims as misleading and inconsistent with evidence presented in court.
Speaking after proceedings on April 2, 2026, at Criminal Court 3 of the Accra High Court, defence counsel Samuel Atta Akyea insisted that the bank account at the centre of the case is not privately owned, but rather an official National Security Special Operations account.
The defence was responding to claims by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dominic Ayine, who alleges that Adu-Boahene transferred up to $7 million into a personal account with UMB.
However, Atta Akyea argued that testimony from the prosecution’s own witness contradicts that assertion.
“We don’t want to prejudge the issues, but nobody can run away from the fact that the UMB account was a National Security Special Operations account,” he said, adding that a witness had confirmed depositing funds into the account in an official capacity.
He maintained that documentary evidence, including deposit slips tendered in court, clearly identifies the account as institutional rather than personal.
“As if people want to pretend that Adu-Boahene has an account in a corner… The paying slips have been tendered with an account name and account number,” he said, dismissing suggestions that his client concealed public funds for personal use.
Background to the Case
The case stems from a $7 million contract signed on January 30, 2020, between the NSB and RLC Holdings Limited, an Israeli firm, for the procurement of cyber defence software.
According to the prosecution, only $1.75 million was paid to the vendor, while the remaining funds—about GH¢39.5 million—were allegedly diverted to a private entity, BNC Communications Bureau Limited, said to be linked to Adu-Boahene and his spouse.
Prosecutors further claim that on February 6, 2020, an additional GH¢271 million was transferred from an NSB account at Fidelity Bank into a UMB account associated with BNC, purportedly for the same software.
They argue that these transactions form part of a broader pattern of financial misconduct during Adu-Boahene’s tenure.
Defence Maintains Position
Atta Akyea has rejected the prosecution’s narrative, insisting that the evidence so far does not support claims of personal enrichment.
He argued that the account in question operated within the framework of National Security and was used by authorised personnel for official purposes.
With both sides presenting sharply different accounts, the trial is expected to intensify in the coming weeks as more witnesses testify and additional documents are examined.
The case has attracted significant public interest due to its implications for transparency and accountability in the management of sensitive national security funds.
