A former board member of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Ben Owusu, has been dragged before the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), facing explosive allegations of bribery, corruption, and causing monumental financial loss to the state.
Owusu, who served under the previous Akufo-Addo administration and directly beneath former NPA boss Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, is now on the hot seat, forced to account for his actions during his tenure.
This bombshell petition lands just as the OSP, under Kissi Agyebeng, gears up to slap criminal charges on four other high-profile NPA officials involved in similar corrupt schemes, with indictments expected this very month.
As the former chairman of the Technical and Licensing Sub-Committee of the NPA, Owusu stands accused of shamelessly abusing his office for personal enrichment, engaging in widespread corruption and bribery.
The petition, filed by one Bernice Poasan on June 5, 2025, alleges that Owusu’s corrupt activities have already been unearthed by a fellow board member, linking them to the broader OSP investigation into the previous leadership’s dealings.
Even more shocking, The New Republic has uncovered that despite these damning accusations, Owusu is reportedly feverishly lobbying for reappointment to the NPA board
Sources within the Energy and Green Transition Ministry hint at a disturbing agenda to grant his wish, despite claims he “grabbed so much” under the last administration. Fears are rampant that his return could lead to a continuation of his alleged illicit activities and even meddling with the ongoing OSP probe.
The petition, categorizing Owusu’s alleged crimes as a “bribery and pay-to-play licensing scheme,” claims he demanded and pocketed massive bribes ranging from GHc500,000 to GHc600,000 from desperate applicants seeking licenses to operate as Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and related businesses.
Companies that dared to defy his demands were flatly denied licenses, even when they met all regulatory requirements.
Conversely, Owusu is also blamed for greenlighting licenses for unqualified entities that failed to meet essential regulatory standards.
These suspicious approvals were reportedly rushed through in the waning days of the Akufo-Addo administration. The petition explicitly states, “Several OMCs allegedly obtained licenses after paying bribes to Mr. Owusu despite not meeting the regulatory requirements set out by the NPA.
These licenses were hurriedly processed towards the end of the Akufo-Addo administration.”
On the grave charge of causing financial loss to the state, the petition asserts that Owusu’s actions directly contributed to Marine Gas Oil (MGO) diversions, resulting in a staggering loss exceeding GHc500,000. It also echoes the OSP’s earlier investigation into unapproved funds and suspicious accounts linked to the NPA.
A specific case cited involves Emmanuel Adjei Mensah, director of Newgas Bottling Plant, whose application for an LPG marketing company license was allegedly rejected after he refused to pay Owusu’s demanded bribe, despite meeting all criteria.
Petitioner Bernice Poasan has urged the OSP to expand its probe to include all 28 companies granted licenses in the final days of the previous administration.
Poasan demands that if any of these companies are found to have breached NPA regulations due to bribery, their licenses must be revoked and they be prosecuted.
Among the companies implicated are Rajip Oil Company Limited, Colony Energy Limited, April-Oil Ghana Limited, Trugreen Petroleum Limited, Saf Hope Oil Company Limited, and Lona Petroleum Limited, alongside others like Prince Energy Limited and Akara Energy Limited.
This new petition comes on the heels of the OSP’s recent announcement that it is preparing to file criminal charges against high-ranking NPA officials before the end of June, stemming from an alleged corrupt scheme involving over GH¢280 million between 2022 and 2024.
Earlier in February 2025, the OSP launched an investigation into former NPA Chief Executive Mustapha Abdul-Hamid and three other NPA officials – Jacob Amuah, Freda Tandoh, and Wendy Ashong Newman – over their alleged roles in the embezzlement of GH₵1.3 billion from the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF).
During a press conference on June 2, 2025, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng confirmed that criminal charges would be filed against four high-ranking NPA officials. While not naming them, he revealed that an investigation initiated in November 2024 uncovered a “corrupt scheme of using public office for profit” between 2022 and 2024.
This scheme involved officials using threats, intimidation, coercion, and bribery to extort massive sums from oil marketing companies.
Agyebeng disclosed that as of May 30, 2025, the OSP had traced GH¢280,516,127.19 as proceeds of this corrupt scheme, which was allegedly used to acquire apartments, houses, 22 fuel haulage trucks, and even to incorporate and operate oil marketing companies to compete with those they were regulating.
The OSP has promised to provide a detailed briefing to the public, revealing who did what, what was acquired, and what has been recovered, once the charges are officially filed later this month.
Will Ben Owusu succeed in his alleged bid to return to the NPA board, or will the OSP’s dragnet finally close in on him?