Dr. Dominic Ayine, the Attorney-General has revealed how Gifty Oware-Mensah the former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), misappropriated over Ghs 30 million to secure a loan at the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB).
According to the Attorney General, Mrs. Oware-Mensah used the allowances of over 9,000 National Service Personnel as security to secure a loan of thirty million six hundred and ninety-eight thousand, two hundred and eighteen cedis, sixty-nine pesewas (GH¢30,698,218.69) from ADB.
The revelations stem from an ongoing investigations by the government-established Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) to fish out individuals and groups who aided in using their public office to siphon public funds.
“I have obtained the docket compiled by meticulous detectives at NIB.
“The dockets were compiled under stringent oversight directed by my office,” Dr. Ayine declared during a press conference in Accra.
“Suspect Gifty Oware-Mensah used a total of 9,934 ghost names to perpetuate said diversion of funds… used NSS data to obtain a loan of over GHC 30 million with interest of 23 percent from ADB,” Ayine stated.
The Attorney General indocated that the suspect purportedly established a firm with her spouse serving as one of the board of directors’ representatives. The entity is named Blocks of Life Consult, through which she obtained a loan from ADB, utilizing the identities of personnel as collateral without their consent.
Her spouse, Peter Mensah, a lawyer, served as one of the company’s representative. Dr. Ayine stated that she informed ADB that the company specialized in providing home appliances to National Service personnel on a hire-purchase basis, with repayments facilitated through deductions administered by the NSS.
However, at the time, the company was not an authorized vendor with the Scheme.
