PresidentNana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in consultation with the Council of State, has granted a presidential pardon to Alhaji Salifu Mimina Osman, the former Deputy National Security Coordinator during John Dramani Mahama’s presidency.
This decision came after receiving a petition from the Chief of the Kpembe Traditional Area, requesting Alhaji Osman’s release from prison due to good behavior and ill-health.
In a letter dated August 1, 2023, and signed by the Secretary to President Nana Bediatuo Asante, the President directed the Minister of the Interior to promptly execute the presidential pardon. The letter mentioned that the President exercised the prerogative of mercy in accordance with Article 72(1) (a) of the Constitution, leading to the pardon for Alhaji Salifu Mimina Osman.
Furthermore, the Director General of the Prison Service was formally notified of the President’s decision through a copy of the letter.
Alhaji Salifu Mimina Osman, a prominent figure from the Kpembe Traditional Area, had been serving a five-year jail term since 2020, following his involvement in the National Communications Authority (NCA) scandal, where he was convicted for wilfully causing financial loss to the state.
Background
On May 11, 2020, an Accra High Court sentenced three former board members of the National Communications Authority (NCA) to a total of 16 years’ imprisonment with hard labor for misappropriating funds in the procurement of controversial surveillance equipment for the National Security Council Secretariat. The convicted individuals are Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, the former Board Chairman; William Mathew Tetteh-Tevie, the former Director General; and Alhaji Salifu Osman Mimina, a former Deputy National Security Coordinator on the NCA Board.
The court found them guilty of 14 different charges, including causing financial loss to the state and contravening the Public Procurement Act. Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie was found guilty of eight charges, including conspiracy, causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, and using public office for profit, resulting in a six-year imprisonment with hard labor. William Mathew Tetteh-Tevie and Alhaji Salifu Osman Mimina were both found guilty of five charges, but they received five-year imprisonment sentences.
Furthermore, the court ordered the seizure of the convicts’ properties to compensate for the three million dollars in financial loss caused to the state. Two other accused individuals, Nana Owusu Ensaw and George Dereck Oppong, were acquitted and discharged by the court.
The case began in December 2017, where the five were initially faced with a total of 17 charges, including stealing and money laundering. They all pleaded not guilty. After the prosecution called six witnesses and presented its case, the accused filed applications for no case submission, claiming that the prosecution couldn’t prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The court, however, dismissed these applications and ordered the accused to open their defense, except for Dr. Ensaw, who was acquitted due to a successful appeal.
Throughout the trial, the accused denied all charges and asserted that they did not benefit from the purchase of the cyber security equipment. Alhaji Osman’s testimony was heard in-camera due to national security concerns. The Court of Appeal granted Dr. Ensaw’s appeal, resulting in his discharge from the case. Mr. Oppong was acquitted as the court ruled that he could not have known about the lack of NCA board approval for the equipment purchase.
In the main judgment, the court found that the purchase of the Pegasus equipment did not receive the required approval from the NCA board. The prosecution successfully demonstrated that the three accused conspired and acted in a manner that caused a financial loss of three million dollars to the state in the equipment procurement.
Though there was no evidence of theft conspiracy, Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie was found guilty of using public office for profit based on his confession in a police caution statement. However, William Mathew Tetteh-Tevie and Alhaji Salifu Osman Mimina were found not guilty of the same charge, despite Baffoe-Bonnie’s admission.
