TNR Files
Sources at the Financial Intelligence Centre have revealed to The New Republic that former Chief of Defence Staff General Thomas Oppong Peprah has been interrogated over money laundering allegations, with investigators concluding that his financial records are far from satisfactory.
The probe, triggered by a whistleblower who had worked closely with the General, centred on suspicions that the senior military officer had accumulated wealth far beyond his legitimate earnings. According to FIC sources, the whistleblower had witnessed the General handling mountains of cash sums that his public service salary could not conceivably generate.
At the heart of the investigation is a US1 million on renovations, transforming the mansion into a modern palace complete with a swimming pool and fittings befitting a rock star.
Crucially, none of these funds appear to have passed through the banking system.
In an interview with TNR, Oppong Peprah confirmed the FIC investigation but vigorously defended the source of his wealth.
“She reported me to Financial Intelligence Centre. I went there and showed them where I made my money,” he stated. “I sold my houses.”
The General insisted that the funds were legitimately earned from disposing of multiple private properties he owned. He did not, however, explain how he circumvented banking channels to transport and pay US$1.3 million in cash a transaction that would ordinarily trigger mandatory reporting under anti-money laundering regulations.
The FIC investigation adds to mounting scrutiny of the former Army Chief. Oppong Peprah confirmed to TNR that the Ghana Armed Forces had also investigated allegations that he oversaw the purchase of ageing armoured vehicles at inflated prices a transaction in which he allegedly creamed off millions.
“The armoured vehicle issue… There was a Board that was set up; we all gave our statements and they did the investigations,” he said. “If there was a problem I would by now be in prison or somewhere.”
While the General has been eager to portray both investigations as closed and exonerating, FIC sources have indicated that his books are not clean. The Centre has not taken the usual step of freezing his accounts, but sources stress this should not be interpreted as a clean bill of health.
The property transaction, if proven to have circumvented banking reporting requirements, would raise serious questions under Ghana’s anti-money laundering framework. The General has been notably less forthcoming about the mechanics of the US$1.3 million cash deal how he transported such a large sum and why banking channels were avoided.
Oppong Peprah, currently serving as deputy High Commissioner to Canada, has not responded to follow-up questions regarding these matters.
The case underscores the growing scrutiny of senior military officers’ asset accumulation, particularly in the context of procurement scandals that have dogged the Ghana Armed Forces in recent years. For now, the former CDS appears to have weathered both investigations but the mountain of unanswered questions surrounding his Airport mansion continues to grow, with FIC sources suggesting the final chapter has yet to be written.