4 Grabbed Over Unexplained Wealth

Three wealthy public servants and a civil servant have been arrested by the Special Prosecutor (SP) for failing to declare their sources of income. The four persons, namely James Keck Osei, John Abban, Peter Archibald Hyde and Issah Seidu, were arrested under Regulation 20 of LI2374 in a new operation known as “a lifestyle audit” of the rich.

While Issah Asiedu works for the National Insurance Commission, James Keck Osei is an administrator in the Vice President’s Office, while John Abban and Peter Archibald Hyde are senior officers with the Ghana Revenue Authority’s Customs Division (GRA). They are scheduled to appear before the Criminal Division of the High Court today, according to the OSP.

The OSP is using the power bestowed upon it to demand an explanation for how people obtained their wealth, a practice known as an unexplained wealth order. People under investigation can go to the High Court to account for their assets, but failing to do so automatically results in asset seizure.

Ghana is not the first country to reverse the burden of proof, requiring people to explain where their money comes from. In 2017, Ireland and the United Kingdom amended their laws to allow for unexplained wealth orders, and Zimbabwe followed suit in 2019.