By Issah Olegor
Accusations of massive financial wrongdoing at the heart of Ghana’s national security establishment have taken a dramatic turn, as three prosecution witnesses presented striking testimonies in the ongoing GH¢49.1 million fraud trial involving the former Director-General of the National Signals Bureau (NSB), Kwabena Adu-Boahene.
It was revealed in court that Adu-B was always dispatched his errand boy to send or withdraw bag load of cash from the bank.
Adu-Boahene, his wife Angela Adjei Boateng, their associate Mildred Donkor, and their jointly owned company, Advantage Solutions Limited, are facing 11 charges filed by the Attorney-General, ranging from stealing and money laundering to conspiracy and abuse of office.
The alleged financial crimes revolve around the purported procurement of a US$7 million cybersecurity system that was never fully delivered, despite state funds being withdrawn and redirected through a suspicious web of private accounts.
Shadowy Deal
The events trace back to January 2020, when Adu-Boahene—then head of the Bureau of National Communications (BNC), later restructured as NSB—signed a contract with Israeli firm ISC Holdings Limited for the acquisition of a cyber defence system.
The total contract value was pegged at US$7 million (GH¢49.1 million at the time).
Investigations by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), however, uncovered that while the deal existed on paper, only a small portion—about US$1.75 million—was ever transferred to ISC Holdings.
The rest, prosecutors allege, was siphoned off through an elaborate scheme into private bank accounts set up and controlled by Adu-Boahene and his inner circle.
Testimony from EOCO
Frank Marshall Cromwell, the lead EOCO investigator, was the first to testify.
He revealed that the investigation was launched in March 2025 after a whistleblower alerted authorities to suspicious financial activity linked to the NSB.
Cromwell detailed how three large cheques, totaling GH¢49.1 million and labelled as payments to “BNC Operations,” were drawn from a Fidelity Bank account belonging to the BNC and then deposited into a newly created UMB Bank account in the name of “BNC Communications Bureau Limited – Operations.”
This account, according to Cromwell, was not part of the official BNC structure and was opened just a day before the first cheque was cleared.
Only a fraction of the amount was wired to the Israeli vendor.
The rest, he said, was withdrawn in cash or funneled into other accounts connected to Advantage Solutions and other shell companies lacking operational records.
Cromwell testified that the accused persons—identified in court documents as A1 (Adu-Boahene), A2 (his wife), A3 (Mildred Donkor), and A4 (Advantage Solutions)—acted in concert to misappropriate the funds.
He further revealed that, in March 2023, the accused requested the closure of all UMB accounts under “BNC Communications Bureau Limited” and ordered the transfer of the remaining balances to Advantage Solutions Limited.
Finance Director Opens Up
Edith Ruby Opokua Adumua, the Director of Finance at the NSB, provided internal corroboration.
She recounted how she was directed by Adu-Boahene to prepare large cheques, believing them to be for legitimate operational expenses under a strict “need-to-know” policy within the Bureau.
This policy, she explained, meant she was not allowed to question directives from the top or demand documentation for transactions labelled as “classified.”
In particular, she mentioned a GH¢27.1 million cheque dated February 6, 2020, which she prepared at Adu-Boahene’s request.
Unknown to her at the time, the cheque was deposited into a private UMB account, not an official Bureau account.
Two other cheques followed, bringing the total to GH¢49.1 million—all allegedly laundered through various private and corporate accounts.
Adumua said she had initial misgivings but felt compelled to comply due to the hierarchical and opaque command structure at the NSB.
She confirmed seeing an invoice from ISC Holdings for US$7 million but added that only about US$3.11 million was eventually paid, raising further questions about the remaining funds.
Errand Boy’s Revelation
Adding a human dimension to the paper trail was the testimony of Frank Anane Dekpey, a church member of Adu-Boahene and a self-described errand assistant.
Dekpey told the court he was frequently dispatched to withdraw or deposit large sums of money from UMB and Stanbic banks, often carrying the cash in “Ghana Must Go” bags.
He testified that most of the transactions were handled under the direction of A3 (Mildred Donkor) and that he delivered the money directly to Adu-Boahene’s office in Labone.
While he claimed not to know the exact amounts involved, he said bank staff were always expecting him and rarely questioned the transactions.
He also acknowledged making deposits into accounts linked to “Vertex Solutions,” one of the companies identified by EOCO as part of the laundering network.
The Attorney-General has outlined 11 charges against the accused, including:
Three counts of stealing totaling GH¢49.1 million;
Conspiracy to steal;
Defrauding by false pretences;
Causing financial loss to the state;
Abuse of public office for profit;
Money laundering and conspiracy to launder.
The court has since frozen several assets belonging to the accused individuals and companies pending the outcome of the trial.
These include high-end properties, vehicles, and suspected shell companies.
