OSP examines alleged irregularities in GH¢49.7m South Africa evacuation expenditure

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is investigating allegations of corruption linked to GH¢49.7 million spent on evacuating Ghanaians from South Africa. The OSP's examination focuses on discrepancies between reported expenditure by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and payment records. Between May 27 and September 4, 2026, 1,964 Ghanaian nationals were evacuated following xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The Ministry reported spending GH¢49,721,786, covering flights, tickets, transport, accommodation, food, medical care, and reintegration allowances. The OSP is looking into issues like duplicate entries, insufficient documentation, and payments to people who claim not to have received the amounts. The investigation aims to determine if public funds were properly accounted for and disbursed, who actually received the payments, and if any public official or private person received benefits improperly.

The OSP emphasized that the probe is about the management of public funds, not the government's decision to evacuate Ghanaians as humanitarian aid. They promised to release more information when warranted, reminding the public that all involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty.