The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) says it is investigating allegations of corruption arising from the recent evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The office, in a statement on its website, acknowledged its interest in examining the discrepancies that have emerged following the evacuation of what the sector Minister accounts as thousands of Ghanaians from South Africa between May 27 and September 4, 2026.

The evacuation was a safeguard against the xenophobic attacks against Ghanaians and other African nationals.

The Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has come under intense criticisms and scrutiny, particularly from the Minority in Parliament, regarding the evacuation.

According to the Minister, 1964 evacuees made it to Ghana and each person including children received GH¢5000 reintegration money and additional GH¢500 for transport, all amounting to GH¢49.72 million.

The money, the Minister noted, was primarily funded by the Government of Ghana and a GH¢16 million donation from Engineers and Planners but the Minority, through an RTI request, established series of discrepancies in the list of the evacuees and money doled out to them.

Also, a JoyNews research corroborated the Minority's claims and further revealed more discrepancies citing duplication and duplicity of signatures as well as double payments among others.

Following what appeared to be a cacophony over the evacuation report, the Special Prosecutor notes that "the Office is examining alleged discrepancies between reported expenditure and payment records, including duplicate entries, inadequate supporting documents and payments recorded against beneficiaries who say they did not receive them".

The examination, the OSP, stressed "seeks to establish whether the funds were properly accounted for and disbursed, who received the payments and whether any public officer or private individual improperly benefited".

"The investigation concerns the management of public funds, not the Government’s humanitarian decision to evacuate its citizens," the office emphasised.

The OSP, however, stated categorically that "all persons concerned are presumed innocent unless proven guilty".