The Criminal Division of the Accra High Court has reviewed and reduced the bail amount for former Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Osei Assibey Antwi, from GH¢800 million to GH¢623 million, while maintaining all other bail conditions.
The court made the decision after hearing arguments from both defense counsel and the prosecution.
Osei Assibey Antwi, a former Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister and ex-Mayor of Kumasi, is standing trial on 14 counts, including causing financial loss to the state, stealing, and money laundering.
Prosecutors allege that between 2021 and 2025, he orchestrated payments to more than 60,000 ghost national service personnel, causing losses exceeding GH¢500 million to the state.
He is further accused of diverting over GH¢100 million meant for the Kumawu Farm Project and personally receiving GH¢8.2 million through an e-zwich account linked to his biometrics.
In his application, defense counsel argued that the GH¢800 million bail sum was practically impossible to meet, describing it as “a record in the history of the court.”
He explained that, using an exchange rate of GH¢10 to US$1, the bail value translates to US$80 million, the equivalent of about 80 Grade-A houses in Accra’s East Legon or over 1,000 homes in Kumasi, each valued at GH¢500,000.
Counsel added that the substantive purpose of the bail, eliminating flight risk, had already been met, as the accused had deposited his passports with the court and been placed on the Ghana Immigration Service stop list.
“At this point, the applicant is only an accused person, not a convict. Bail should not be used as punishment even before trial,” counsel argued.
However, Principal State Attorney Dufie Prempeh opposed the request for variation, stating that while the prosecution was not opposed to bail itself, it objected to any change in the conditions.
She argued that the bail terms were reasonable and aimed to ensure that the accused appeared for trial.
“The accused is a former Deputy Regional Minister and former Deputy KMA Mayor. He can find men and women to stand as sureties for him,” she told the court.
In delivering the ruling, the court noted that bail assessment must consider the value of property and assets in relation to the charges faced.
The court, therefore, found merit in slightly varying the sum to GH¢623 million, while keeping all other terms intact.
The six sureties are required to justify the amount with landed properties of equal value and deposit copies of their identification documents with the court.
The accused must continue to report to the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) on the first and third Wednesday of every month, remain on the no-fly list, and keep all passports with the court registry.
Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi, who left the NSS in January 2025, has denied all allegations, expressing confidence that he will clear his name during the trial.
