Gifty Oware-Mensah, former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), is set to arrive in Ghana today, March 4, 2025, via Emirates Airlines at 12:30 PM.
Her return comes amidst widespread speculation regarding her alleged involvement in financial irregularities at the NSS.
P.K. Sarpong, a member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), announced her arrival on Facebook, stating, “She is not a fugitive and neither is she running away from justice.”
His statement sought to dispel rumours that Oware-Mensah had absconded from the country following ongoing investigations into the NSS payroll fraud scandal.
The NSS Payroll Fraud Scandal
The controversy surrounding the NSS erupted when a routine payroll audit uncovered 81,885 ghost names on the scheme’s database.
This discovery, made in early February 2025, prompted President John Dramani Mahama to order a full-scale investigation into the matter, directing the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to uncover those responsible.
The investigative platform The Fourth Estate further revealed shocking details, including the presence of individuals aged over 80 and even a 93-year-old listed as an NSS personnel deployed to a primary school.
Additionally, the same name, “Abubakar Fuseini,” reportedly appeared 226 times in the NSS database, all linked to the same academic qualifications from the University for Development Studies (UDS).
In response to these allegations, the NSS issued a statement on December 16, 2024, denying any fraudulent activities.
The Authority maintained that system upgrades implemented since 2021 had enhanced fraud prevention mechanisms, and it pledged full cooperation with investigators.
Oware-Mensah’s Lawyers Dismiss Absconding Claims
Amidst mounting speculation, Gifty Oware-Mensah’s legal representatives, Sarkodie Baffour Awuah and Partners, refuted claims that she had fled Ghana to avoid accountability.
In a statement issued on February 28, 2025, and copied to MyNewsGh.com, her lawyers asserted that she remains a resident of Ghana and has no plans to relocate abroad.
“Our client wishes to put on record that she has not absconded from the Republic of Ghana, contrary to the said reports. Indeed, she has no intention of relocating from Ghana. She was born and bred in Ghana and has no intention of taking up domicile in a foreign country,” the statement read.
The legal team further clarified that Oware-Mensah had travelled outside the country after the 2024 general elections for a brief break, exercising her constitutional right to do so.
They emphasised that her recent movements were unrelated to the NSS investigations and that she is prepared to assist with any legal processes.
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