NSA Scandal: Court dismisses Gifty Oware-Mensah's plea to halt trial

The Accra High Court has dismissed an application by the former Deputy Director of the National Service Authority (NSA), Gifty Oware-Mensah, seeking to halt a case until the determination of her appeal against the order to list the names and addresses of her witnesses during case management conference.

The court, on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, however, refused to halt proceedings.

Gifty Oware-Mensah moves to halt GH¢38 million financial loss trial

The directive, issued during a case management conference, requires the prosecution to disclose all evidence it intends to rely on, while the defence must indicate any potential witnesses if requested.

It was issued in line with standard practice directions for criminal trials.

Oware-Mensah’s lawyers, led by Gary Nimako-Marfo, have since appealed to the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the directive.

While awaiting a decision, the defence requested a stay of proceedings from the High Court, which was refused, according to a report by graphic.com.gh.

A second application for a stay, tied to another pending appeal on the same matter, was also rejected.

The legal team further asked that the trial judge refer the constitutional question to the Supreme Court, a request that was declined. Appeals have since been filed against that refusal, along with a renewed application to halt the trial.

At Tuesday, March 24, 2026’s hearing, the court noted that not all parties had been properly served with documents related to the latest application, and adjourned the case to April 15 to allow service to be completed.

Gifty Oware-Mensah faces five criminal charges, including willfully causing financial loss to the state, theft, money laundering, and using public office for personal gain, over her alleged role in creating ghost names in the National Service Secretariat (NSS) database.

Prosecutors allege that Oware-Mensah generated around 9,934 fictitious National Service personnel, unlawfully profiting from the monthly allowances paid to these ghost names.

Attorney General Dr Dominic Ayine has stated that the alleged actions caused financial losses exceeding GH¢38 million to the government.

Attorney General moves to keep Gifty Oware-Mensah's trial on track despite objection

Oware-Mensah was formally charged on October 22, 2026, and her trial is ongoing.

MAG/AE

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