The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has formally charged four public officials in connection with a failed scheme to steal 10 containers of imported rice at the Tema Port.
According to a statement posted by the OSP on X (formerly Twitter), the suspects—Issah Seidu, James Keck Osei, John Abban, and Peter Archibald Hyde—allegedly conspired to use forged documents, including one falsely attributed to the Office of the Vice President, to fraudulently claim rice imported from Thailand in 2022.
Issah Seidu, believed to be the mastermind of the operation, allegedly went as far as attempting to auction the seized rice containers to himself.
Investigations by the OSP revealed that Seidu, along with James Keck Osei—a former director at the Vice President’s Secretariat—and Customs officials John Abban and Peter Hyde, circumvented the standard port clearance process, even though all import duties had been duly paid.
The illegal activity came to light following internal audits and a ruling by a High Court, which flagged the use of fraudulent documentation and halted the attempted clearance of the goods.
Following the seizure of the rice containers, the OSP launched a full investigation, which has now culminated in formal charges.
The accused persons are expected to appear before court on Friday, June 27, 2025, to face charges including corruption, wire fraud, and forgery of official documents.
