Kwabena Adu-Boahene, the former Director-General of the National Signals Bureau (NSB), was arrested in relation to a purported financial scandal involving a $7 million cyber security system contract, according to Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Dominic Ayine.
Ayine described the case’s circumstances at a press conference on Monday, March, pointing to financial wrongdoing and unauthorized transactions that took public monies intended for a vital national security initiative.
Unauthorized financial transactions and betrayal of public confidence
The goal of the cyber defense contract, according to the attorney general, was to improve Ghana’s capacity to identify, stop, and react to cyberthreats, data breaches, and digital espionage. However, it is reported that the project’s funding was mishandled.
“On January 30, 2020, Mr. Adu-Boahene, in his role as Director of the National Signals Bureau, signed a contract on behalf of the Ghanaian government and national security on the one hand, and an Israeli company called RLC Holdings Limited on the other,” Mr. Ayine revealed.
The $7 million contract was intended to purchase software for a cyber defense system. But a week later, Mr. Adu Boahene allegedly made questionable financial decisions that prompted concerns, according to the Attorney General.
He then moved GH¢27,100,000 from the National Signals Bureau account at Fidelity Bank to a private BNC account at UMB on February 6, 2020. According to official records, the money was sent to buy for software for a cyber defense system. He moved the funds to his personal business.
Next actions
Authorities think Ghana’s cybersecurity infrastructure has been weakened by the purported money diversion, which has delayed the adoption of essential security measures to safeguard private national information.
Mr. Ayine has assured that the government is still committed to holding people accountable for financial misconduct, and legal processes are anticipated to begin shortly.
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