Embattled former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr. Mustapha Hamid has filed an application at the Accra High Court seeking the release of his passport to enable him embark on a foreign trip.
The application was disclosed in a Facebook update posted by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on Thursday, November 6, 2025.
Dr. Hamid,NPA is facing charges of extortion, abuse of public office, and money laundering alongside nine others, including NPA officials and private companies.
According to the OSP, Dr Hamid in his application to the court has prayed for the release of the passport to enable him travel to Canada for a political engagement.
“The Criminal High Court is scheduled to hear on 13 November an application filed by the first accused person, Dr. Mustapha Hamid, seeking the release of his passport in the ongoing GH¢291 million case involving allegations of extortion, abuse of office, and money laundering against him and nine (9) others in connection with the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).
“Dr. Hamid contends that the release of his passport is necessary to enable him to travel to Canada to attend a political engagement. The Republic, however, has opposed the application. The accused person was ordered by the Court to surrender his passport as part of his bail conditions. He remains on the OSP’s stop list,” the OSP said.
The substantive case against Dr. Hamid and the 9 other accused persons involves allegations of misappropriating over GH¢291.5 million and US$332,407.47 from the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) between 2022 and 2024.
The funds according to the prosecution were allegedly extorted from oil marketing companies and laundered through shell entities for personal gain.
The accused were first arraigned on July 23, 2025, on 25 counts, which were later expanded to 54 following further investigations. Assets worth over GH¢100 million, including vehicles, fuel stations, and real estate, have been frozen by the state.
Dr. Hamid, a former Minister of Information and prominent member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has described the charges as baseless.