A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former Deputy Director-General of the National Service Authority (NSA), Gifty Oware-Mensah, has admitted under cross-examination that he possesses no evidence to support claims that the accused used his Ghana Card to register a company.
The witness, George Annan, a Bolt driver who previously worked for the mother of Madam Oware-Mensah, made the admission while testifying before Criminal Court 4, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay.
Mr Annan was being cross-examined by lead defence counsel, Gary Nimako Marfo, when he acknowledged that his allegation was based solely on information provided to him by investigators during questioning.
The witness told the court that investigators informed him that his Ghana Card had been used to register a company known as Blocks of Life Consult Limited.
However, when defence counsel asked him to identify the evidence supporting that claim, he conceded that he had none.
During the proceedings, Mr Annan further admitted that he did not know when the company had been incorporated.
Counsel for the accused subsequently informed the court that Blocks of Life Consult Limited was registered on April 27, 2016, by shareholders Daniel Quophi Amoateng and Paul Boateng, several years before Mr Annan obtained his Ghana Card in 2020.
The witness responded that he was unaware of the company’s registration details.
Mr Nimako Marfo then put it to the witness that his allegation against Madam Oware-Mensah could not be accurate because the company had been incorporated four years before he acquired the Ghana Card allegedly used in the registration process.
In response, Mr Annan maintained that he was merely repeating information given to him by investigators.
“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,” he told the court.
In another exchange, the witness agreed that the year 2016 preceded 2020, a point raised by defence counsel to underscore what he described as inconsistencies in the witness’s testimony.
Background
Gifty Oware-Mensah is standing trial over allegations relating to the creation of ghost names within the National Service Authority database, a scheme prosecutors say resulted in substantial financial losses to the state.
She was formally charged on October 22, 2026, with five offences, including willfully causing financial loss to the state, theft, money laundering and using public office for personal gain.
According to the prosecution, Madam Oware-Mensah allegedly facilitated the creation of approximately 9,934 fictitious National Service personnel and unlawfully benefited from monthly allowances paid to the ghost names.
Attorney General Dr Dominic Ayine has stated that the alleged scheme caused financial losses exceeding GH¢38 million to the state.
The trial continues before the Accra High Court.
