Dr. Mustapha Hamid’s Lawyers Accuse OSP of “Public Theatrics” as Court Sets November 13 Passport Hearing
Accra, Ghana —The legal team of former National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Chief Executive Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid has accused the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) of engaging in “public theatrics” after the anti-corruption agency announced that it had seized and frozen assets worth more than $100 million allegedly connected to its ongoing criminal investigations. According to the OSP, the seizure which also includes over $100,000 in cash follows “strong documentary, banking, and transactional evidence linking the proceeds to the alleged offences.”
But Dr. Hamid’s lawyers at Hay & Partners at law, have dismissed the statement as “misleading and unethical,” insisting that no assets belonging to their client have been identified, traced, or confiscated.
In a response signed by legal counsel Joseph Dindiok Kpemka, the team accused the OSP of “inciting public sentiment against individuals who have not been convicted of any offence.”
“The prosecution’s actions are completely unacceptable. Inciting public sentiment against accused persons who are not convicts is unethical and must not be entertained,” Kpemka said in an interview monitored by DM Media Online.
“None of the persons involved has been convicted, yet the OSP keeps making pronouncements as though guilt has been established. This conduct violates Rule 42 of L.I. 2423 (2020), which cautions prosecutors against public commentary that prejudices cases before court.”
Kpemka argued that none of the properties referenced in the $100 million claim is connected to Dr. Hamid, asserting that the OSP’s public statements create the false impression that the former NPA boss owns the assets under investigation. “Not one of those properties is in Dr. Mustapha Hamid’s name,” he stressed. “If the OSP insists otherwise, let them show where in their own charge sheet that claim is made.”
The OSP has not directly named Dr. Hamid in its latest statement but maintains that all asset-freezing actions are grounded in “credible financial intelligence and court-supervised authorizations.”
Sources within the OSP say the office is “acting strictly within its legal mandate” to preserve proceeds of suspected corruption pending trial.
Amid the escalating legal battle, the Criminal High Court in Accra is preparing for a crucial hearing on November 13, when Dr. Hamid’s lawyers will seek the temporary release of his passport so he can travel to Canada for political engagements. Kpemka confirmed that Dr. Hamid’s legal team has filed an application seeking the temporary release of his passport to enable him to travel to Canada for a political engagement.
“When bail was granted, his passport was deposited with the court. He is now seeking permission to travel — as the law allows. The court will decide,” he explained.
“If the application is denied, he simply will not travel. That’s the rule, and we respect it.”
The OSP opposes the application, citing flight-risk concerns and an active stop-list order. Dr. Hamid’s passport was surrendered as part of his bail conditions.
The case The Republic v. Mustapha Hamid & 9 Others has become a defining test of the OSP’s credibility and Ghana’s broader anti-corruption agenda.
Dr. Hamid, a respected academic and former Minister for Information, is accused alongside nine others of orchestrating an extortion and money-laundering scheme between December 2022 and December 2024, allegedly targeting Bulk Oil Transporters (BOTs) and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) under the guise of regulatory fees.
Investigators claim the group illegally collected and laundered over GH¢291 million and US$332,000, concealing the funds through property purchases and corporate fronts. The OSP says Dr. Hamid personally received GH¢24 million from an NPA colleague, GH¢230,000 from an oil-haulage firm, and held assets worth GH¢15.3 million deemed “disproportionate to his lawful income.”
The prosecution has expanded its charges from 25 to 54 counts, covering extortion, money laundering, abuse of office, and causing financial loss to the state, implicating ten individuals and three companies.
Led by Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng, the OSP maintains that its asset seizures are lawful and backed by “robust documentary, banking, and transactional evidence.”
“No public official is above the law,” the OSP said in its rebuttal to a viral video in which Dr. Hamid dismissed the case as “useless” and “politically motivated.” “The prosecution is grounded on verifiable financial evidence, not political motives.”
The upcoming hearing could shape both Dr. Hamid’s political future and the OSP’s institutional reputation.
For the Special Prosecutor, it is a chance to reaffirm that no one regardless of status is above scrutiny; for the defense, it is an effort to frame the prosecution as overreach.
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