By Daniel Bampoe
The ongoing prosecution of Kwabena Adu-Boahene, former Director-General of National Signals Bureau (NSB), has sparked serious legal and national security concerns, as his lawyers warn that sensitive state intelligence operations risk public exposure.
In a formal letter dated May 6, 2025, and addressed to the National Security Coordinator, legal firm Zoe, Akyea & Co., led by former MP and lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea, contended that the charges brought against Adu-Boahene by the Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, violate two critical laws: the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2020 (Act 1030) and the National Signals Bureau Act, 2020 (Act 1040).
The letter, copied to other top security officials, urged a careful review of the case to prevent compromising national intelligence matters.
The Attorney-General on April 30, 2025, formally arraigned Adu-Boahene on multiple criminal charges, including stealing and causing financial loss to the state.
But according to the defence team, the prosecution rests on activities deeply rooted in intelligence operations carried out between 2020 and 2024—many of which were sanctioned at the highest levels and executed under classified mandates.
In a memorandum authored from EOCO custody and attached to the letter, Adu-Boahene details several high-level operations that spanned election years and critical national security moments.
These include:
Special Cyber & Electronic Surveillance Operations (Taurus, Scorpion, Essien 1 & 2, Hive): GH¢9.5 million reportedly paid to ISC Holdings in 2020.
Operation Conquered Fist (anti-terrorism efforts): GH¢6.9 million expended between 2020 and 2024.
Operation Calm Life (targeting kidnappings and violent crimes): GH¢3.78 million.
Support to Parliament: GH¢960,000 and GH¢309,000 disbursed to MPs and committees involved in the legal enactment of NSB structures.
Election-related Security Operations: GH¢7.28 million in 2020 and GH¢6.76 million in 2024 for logistics and allowances to ensure peaceful elections.
Support to Opposition Political Party: GH¢8.3 million (approximately $500,000) in equipment aid allegedly justified on grounds of “national cohesion and political impartiality.”
Adu-Boahene emphasized that all funds were deployed to enhance stability, ensure peaceful transitions, and reinforce Ghana’s intelligence capacity.
He also warned that continued legal pressure may inadvertently lead to the public disclosure of highly sensitive operations, potentially compromising national security frameworks.
“I give you my highest assurances that Angela [his spouse] and I would never steal public funds,” he wrote.
“What is evidently clear is that the EOCO boss, Raymond Archer, is deliberately misrepresenting or distorting the facts to the authorities… I am craving your urgent intervention to avert [a crisis] before it becomes too late.”
The case has stirred debate among legal and intelligence circles, raising questions about how state security spending is accounted for and whether intelligence agencies are being subjected to prosecutorial overreach.
The NSB, dissolved in early 2021, was created under the Mahama administration and was responsible for signals and electronic intelligence operations.
While the Attorney-General’s office insists on Adu-Boahene’s personal culpability, critics argue that the prosecution risks setting a dangerous precedent that may politicize security services and discourage future operatives from undertaking sensitive missions without fear of post-service legal backlash.
Neither the National Security Secretariat nor the presidency has publicly commented on the legal letter or the alleged details of the operations listed.
