The former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company Limited (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, has been charged for allegedly stealing and causing a financial loss of more than GH¢61 million to the state.
The funds were meant for the purchase and supply of food items under the national school feeding component of the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme.
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, in a charge sheet filed before the High Court, named Aludiba and Richard Sam-Asante, NAFCO’s Head of Finance, as the principal suspects.
The two, who were signatories to NAFCO’s account, allegedly caused a financial loss of GH¢50,879,210 by transferring GH¢69,616,226.29 to Sawtina Enterprise, a company in which James Tieku-Apawu, a NAFCO Regional Manager, holds shares.
Although the funds were meant for the supply of food items, investigations revealed that only 20 percent of the amount was used for legitimate supplies. The Attorney-General alleged that Aludiba personally received more than GH¢50 million, leading to a significant financial loss to the state.
In addition, Aludiba is accused of stealing an extra GH¢10 million from NAFCO, which he allegedly transferred to companies owned by himself and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni.
In total, Aludiba, Wuni, Sam-Asante, and two corporate entities — Aludiba Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, and Energy Partners Limited, in which Aludiba owns an 80 percent stake — have been charged with 24 counts, including stealing, causing financial loss, money laundering, abuse of public office, and intentional dissipation of public funds.
The Attorney-General said the Finance Director, Sam-Asante, is currently on the run, while the other accused persons are expected to be arraigned before the High Court later this week.
Further investigations showed that between February 2017 and February 2019, NAFCO paid GH¢5,495,748.36 to Aludiba Enterprise, a business owned by the former CEO, even though the company was not a licensed NAFCO supplier.
In July 2022, NAFCO also transferred GH¢251,050 to Energy Partners Limited, despite the firm having provided no goods or services to the agency.
The probe also revealed that GH¢4,401,831.58 was paid from NAFCO’s accounts to Alqarni Enterprise, a company owned by Aludiba’s wife, under false claims of food supply.
Between February 2020 and November 2022, GH¢13,213,501.52 was allegedly deposited into the bank account of Fa-Hausa Ventures, another business solely owned by Wuni, with Aludiba as a signatory.
According to the Attorney-General, the funds traced to Fa-Hausa Ventures originated from NAFCO accounts via Sawtina Enterprise and were used to acquire properties in Accra, Tamale, and other locations.
Investigations also revealed that more than GH¢161 million in the account had been invested in financial instruments and securities for the couple’s personal benefit.
