The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has formally charged four public officials, including a National Insurance Commission officer and a former staff member at the Office of the Vice President, in connection with a fraudulent scheme involving the unlawful acquisition of 10 containers of imported rice at Tema Port.
The charges were announced publicly on Thursday, June 19, 2025, via the OSP’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, signaling a significant step in the fight against corruption within Ghana’s public sector.
The accused — Issah Seidu, James Keck Osei, John Abban, and Peter Archibald Hyde — face allegations of conspiracy and corruption-related offenses linked to the rice importation scandal.
The rice, imported from Thailand in 2022, was reportedly cleared using forged documentation, including a letter bearing the Vice President’s letterhead, which was falsely used to facilitate the illegal clearance.
According to the OSP, Seidu and Osei collaborated with customs officers Abban and Hyde to bypass routine port inspections, allowing the rice containers to be smuggled out of the port undetected.
The scheme was allegedly designed to enable Seidu to sell the imported rice despite duties already being paid, effectively circumventing legal procedures and depriving the state of due revenue.
However, the fraudulent plan unraveled following an internal audit by a government agency, coupled with a High Court injunction that prevented the release of the containers, thereby halting the illicit transaction.
The accused are scheduled to appear before court on Friday, June 27, 2025, to answer to the charges laid against them.
This case highlights ongoing efforts by the Office of the Special Prosecutor to clamp down on corruption and uphold accountability among public officials, reinforcing the government’s commitment to transparency in trade and customs operations.
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