Ghanaian student charged in US for alleged credit card misuse from blind client

Martin Amidu details OSP investigation into AKSA bribery scandal

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politics Ghana

Martin Amidu details OSP investigation into AKSA bribery scandal

Former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu has provided details regarding the Office of the Special Prosecutor's investigation into the AKSA bribery scandal. This scandal involves Asante Berko, former Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery, who has been convicted in the United States. Amidu stated that the investigation began in April 2020, following a referral from then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and was conducted in collaboration with the FBI office in Ghana. He noted that the OSP investigation continued after his resignation in November 2020 and identified several implicated entities and individuals, including a "Politically Exposed Person" who was an immediate family member of a senior Ghanaian official, and high-ranking government officials. Amidu's remarks follow Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai's disclosure that the Attorney General is engaging US counterparts after Berko's conviction for conspiring to violate the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and conspiring to commit money laundering. US court documents indicate that over $1 million in bribes were allegedly paid to Ghanaian officials, including government officials and Members of Parliament, to facilitate a power plant deal for a Turkish-based company during Ghana's power crisis in 2014 and 2015.

GhanaWeb36 mins ago4 min

world Ghana

Secret Service uses 'shell game' tactics to protect US presidents, including aircraft and motorcade deceptions

The US Secret Service employs various deceptive tactics, often referred to as a "shell game," to ensure the safety of the President. These strategies include using decoy vehicles in motorcades, such as two "Beasts" enhanced limousines that switch positions, and multiple Marine One helicopters flying in formation to obscure which one carries the President. More elaborate deceptions are used for high-risk international trips. For instance, on July 8, US President Donald Trump reportedly departed a NATO summit in Turkey by being secretly transferred via a catering truck to a C-32A military aircraft, while Air Force One, with unwitting decoys, departed in plain sight. This suggests a significant threat level, according to former Secret Service agent Robert McDonald. Similar tactics have been used in the past, such as President Bill Clinton flying into Pakistan on an unmarked jet after a decoy Air Force One, and President George W. Bush secretly traveling to Baghdad. In 2023, President Joe Biden was also secretly taken to Ukraine. The media present during these deceptions are typically aware but asked to withhold real-time reporting. The Secret Service does not comment on such incidents, and the White House maintains that it uses all available tools to protect the President. Experts like McDonald and former CIA veteran Marc Polymeropoulos emphasize that such extraordinary measures indicate a serious threat, prompting a coordinated response from multiple agencies.

politics Ghana

NAIMOS intensifies galamsey crackdown, arrests 40 and seizes mining equipment across six regions

The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat NAIMOS conducted operations in six mining regions from July 27 to August 2, 2026, leading to the arrest of 40 suspects and the seizure of significant illegal mining equipment. Operations focused on the Ankobra, Bia, Torya, Tano, and Butre rivers, as well as the Desire Forest Reserve, the Birim River, and the Tepa-Goaso District. In one instance on July 29, eight suspects, including two Chinese nationals and six Ghanaians, were arrested at Sikaniasem in the Western region. Seizures from this operation included an excavator, a Toyota Land Cruiser, three motorbikes, nine water pumps, and a shotgun. Fourteen water pumps, seven chanfang machines, four generators, and five makeshift structures were also destroyed. Further operations in the Western Region on July 29 led to the arrest of 19 Ghanaians in Tarkwa Nsuaem, Mpohor, and Ellembelle, with 120,000 Ghana cedis recovered from one suspect. Equipment seized included an excavator, three excavator control boards, a pump action shotgun, 19 cartridges, and 29 chanfang machines. On July 30, operations in areas like Asankragua and Breman resulted in the seizure of seven motorbikes and two water pumps, and one excavator was rendered inoperable. Thirteen suspects were arrested in the Ashanti, Ahafo, Savannah, and Eastern Regions. An intelligence-led operation at Kadadwen on July 30 resulted in the seizure of a Zoomlion excavator, a white Zonda pickup vehicle, and various other heavy-

Ghanaian student charged in US for alleged credit card misuse from blind client

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Martin Amidu details OSP investigation into AKSA bribery scandal

Secret Service uses 'shell game' tactics to protect US presidents, including aircraft and motorcade deceptions

NAIMOS intensifies galamsey crackdown, arrests 40 and seizes mining equipment across six regions