OSP Probes GH₵25.8m Palm Oil Diversion Scandal

By Cephas Larbi On Feb 25, 2026

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has commenced a comprehensive investigation into the diversion of 50 containers of palm oil valued at GH₵25.8 million, in a scandal that has sent shockwaves across the country.

The consignment, which was reportedly declared as goods in transit, is suspected to have been unlawfully diverted into the local market without the payment of the required duties and taxes, raising serious concerns about possible corruption within state institutions.

The OSP in a statement released yesterday said the alleged diversion has caused an estimated GH₵10.5 million loss in tax revenue to the state.

The statement said the probe stems from an intelligence-led operation conducted in November 2025.

Preliminary findings indicate the suspected involvement of some Customs officers, National Security operatives and clearing agents in what the OSP describes as a coordinated corrupt scheme.

The development has heightened public scrutiny over accountability within the nation’s revenue collection and security systems, as authorities work to unravel what could be one of the major diversion cases in recent times.

The OSP reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the public purse and ensuring accountability.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson has cracked the whip, imposing an immediate ban on the land transit of cooking oil, including palm oil, in commercial quantities.

The tough directive follows the interception of 18 articulated trucks by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) at the Akanu and Aflao border posts on February 18, 2026.

The trucks, packed with cooking oil, spaghetti and tomato paste and declared for transit to Niger, were allegedly moving without mandatory Customs Human Escorts.

Authorities uncovered a staggering GH¢85.3 million tax evasion scheme.

Under the new order, all cooking oil shipments must now pass strictly through Ghana’s seaports, Tema and Takoradi, as government moves to clamp down hard on smuggling and protect the public purse.