Former Director General of the National Signals Bureau (NSB), Mr Adu Boahene, along with three co-defendants—including his wife—are slated to make their formal court appearance in 15 days following their alleged involvement in the embezzlement of GH¢49.1 million earmarked for a cybersecurity defence software project.

This was after the High Court in Accra, presided over by Justice John Nyante Nyadu, set July 18 as the date for the trial following a pre-trial hearing yesterday, July 3.

The pre-trial was for the court to address a motion filed by the defendant’s legal team’s request to be granted access to national security accounts dating back to 1992. However, their request was dismissed over inadequate justification by the presiding judge.

In delivering the ruling, Justice Nyadu noted, “The full ruling can be applied for on Monday, July 7,” indicating that further legal proceedings would continue shortly.

Meanwhile, Adu-Boahen’s defense attorney, Atta Akyea, has expressed disappointment over the court’s rejection of their motion for broader financial disclosures. He insists that “Our clients are not common criminals. They deserve a fair trial, and that includes full disclosure of all relevant financial records.”

The court also confirmed that following the conclusion of prosecution disclosures and the Case Management Conference, the prosecution is expected to present its case within two weeks, marking a significant step in the legal proceedings.

Adu-Boahene, along with his co-defendants Angela Adjei Boateng, Mildred Donkor, and Advantage Solutions (a company they own), face a total of 11 charges, including misappropriation of GH¢49 million (approx. $7 million) in state funds, money laundering, stealing, and causing financial loss to the state by diverting funds meant for a cybersecurity defense system into private accounts of their company.

However, the trio have denied all these charges, declaring they are not guilty. They are currently on bail as they await trial.

Background

Adu Boahen was arrested in March this year at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) after allegedly trying to elude authorities using multiple passports.

Attorney-General Dominic Ayine formally charged Mr Adu Boahene and his wife, Angela Adjei Boateng, with corruption offences to the tune of GH₵49 million on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.

According to the writ filed at the High Court on Wednesday, April 30, Mr Adu-Boahene, who was responsible for overseeing critical national security infrastructure, including contracts with foreign companies, signed a deal with an Israeli company, ISC Holdings Limited, to purchase cyber defence software for $7 million.

In total, Adu-Boahene is alleged to have transferred approximately GHS 49 million (around $7 million) from the NSB’s funds into his personal accounts, falsely justifying these transactions as payments for the cyber defence systems, together with his accomplice.

“Further investigations have revealed that no cybersecurity system of the description in the January 30, 2020, contract was ever received by the Bureau of National Communication or by its successor agency, the National Signals Bureau, or by the Government of Ghana,” court documents indicated.

Adu-Boahene’s wife, Angela Adjei Boateng, is one of three directors of Advantage Solutions Limited, the sole shareholder of BNC Communications Bureau Limited. Mildred Donkor is a former bank relationship officer for Adu-Buahene, his wife, and BNC Communications Bureau Limited.

The AG, during a media address in March, detailed that on February 6, 2020, Adu Boahene authorized the transfer of GHC27.1 million from the National BNC’s account at Fidelity Bank to a private BNC account at UMB. The stated purpose of this transaction was to facilitate the acquisition of cyber defense system software from ISC Holdings in Israel for $7 million.

Further scrutiny of the bank records showed that Mr. Adu Boahene instructed the private BNC to transfer GHC9,537,520, equivalent to $1,750,000 at the time, to ISC Holdings. However, the Attorney-General revealed that "Mr. Adu Boahene fraudulently attached a copy of the government of Ghana ISC contract as well as an invoice, which he held as an invoice issued by ISC Holdings."

In addition to the initial transaction, two further payments amounting to GHC21 million were transferred from the National BNC Director’s account at Fidelity Bank to the same private BNC account at UMB on March 18 and March 30, 2020. These payments were recorded as funding for the cyber defense system.

However, upon closer examination, it was discovered that although a total of GHC49 million had been moved into the private BNC account—an amount equivalent to $7 million at the prevailing exchange rate—only a fraction of the money had been paid to ISC Holdings, raising concerns about the whereabouts of the remaining funds.

Also, according to court documents, it’s alleged that Adu-Boahene, his wife, and Mildred “ran an elaborate criminal enterprise using A4 (Advantage Solutions Limited) as a holding company through which the stolen funds were funneled and laundered for their own benefit.”

The documents added that as the holding company for several subsidiary companies, including the private BNC, A4 received a substantial portion of the stolen funds, which its shareholders and directors then invested in the business activities of the subsidiaries, including investments in treasury bills, real estate, the manufacturing of fertilizers, and the rental of luxury cars to VIP customers.