An Accra High Court has reaffirmed its decision to allow the prosecution to proceed with its case against former National Service Authority (NSA) Deputy Director General, Gifty Oware-Mensah, after dismissing yet another attempt by her legal team to halt proceedings.

The ruling, delivered when the case was called on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, saw the presiding judge, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay striking out a fresh application by the defence seeking to suspend the trial.

The court subsequently adjourned the case to May 11, 2026, for the prosecution to continue leading evidence.

The prosecution had earlier begun presenting its case on January 20, 2026, calling its key witness to testify in support of allegations against the accused.

However, proceedings were repeatedly interrupted by defence applications challenging procedural directives issued by the court.

Central to the defence’s objections has been the High Court’s directive requiring Oware-Mensah to disclose the names and addresses of her intended witnesses in line with Part 2(3a) of the Practice Direction on Disclosure and Case Management in Criminal Proceedings (2018).

Gifty Oware-Mensah

Her lawyers have consistently argued that the directive violates the constitutional presumption of innocence, and have sought to pause the trial to challenge the order through higher courts.

Despite these arguments, the High Court has maintained that the applications lack sufficient merit to warrant halting the proceedings. The latest dismissal marks the second major attempt by the defence to suspend the trial, following an earlier application to refer constitutional questions to the Supreme Court, which was also rejected in February 2026.

Background

Gifty Oware-Mensah is standing trial in connection with the National Service Scheme (NSS) ghost names scandal, a major corruption case that emerged in 2024 and exposed widespread manipulation of the NSA payroll system.

Investigations revealed that thousands of fictitious and ineligible individuals were inserted into the system, allowing public funds to be paid out as allowances to non-existent service personnel.

The case has been described as one of the most significant payroll fraud scandals in the recent history.

The accused has pleaded not guilty to charges including stealing, willfully causing financial loss to the state, using public office for profit, and money laundering, all tied to an alleged GH¢38 million loss.

With the matter now adjourned to May 11, the prosecution is expected to resume presenting its evidence, including continuing the testimony of its key witness, as the state seeks to establish its case against the former NSA official.