The Minister for the Interior, Mr. Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, has assured Parliament and the general public of government’s commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in the ongoing investigation into the interception of suspected counterfeit currencies and gold bars at Sapeiman in the Greater Accra Region.
Appearing before Parliament on Wednesday, July 9, the Minister confirmed that the United States Embassy in Ghana is actively collaborating with National Security and other relevant state agencies to determine the authenticity and source of the seized items, which include suspected counterfeit U.S. dollars, Ghanaian cedi notes, and gold bars.
The consignment, concealed in a 20-foot shipping container, was discovered on March 9, 2025, following what the Minister described as a period of sustained monitoring and intelligence gathering. However, he disclosed that the prime suspect fled the scene before the arrival of the security team.
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“The intercepted suspected counterfeit U.S. dollars and fraudulent gold bars were stored in a shipping container located at Sapeiman. The exhibits were securely protected, and in the interest of transparency, the media were invited to witness and report on the development,” Mr. Mubarak told the House.
In response to a question posed by the Member of Parliament for Suhum, Mr. Frank Asiedu Bekoe, the Minister explained that the Bank of Ghana and the Ghana Gold Board are independently verifying the authenticity of the seized currencies and gold. He, however, noted that the U.S. Embassy officially requested to be part of the investigation due to the involvement of its currency.
He said, “The U.S. Embassy wrote to us, expressing interest in joining the investigation. As you may know, the United States takes the integrity of its currency very seriously, and they wanted to trace how these criminals operate and determine if there are links to any broader international syndicate.”
He emphasized that the collaboration with the U.S. was not due to any doubt about Ghana’s capacity to detect counterfeit money, but rather a reflection of the Embassy’s determination to safeguard its currency and support investigations with possible cross-border implications.
Touching on the identities of the suspects, the Minister explained that it was premature to disclose names, as investigations are still ongoing. “What I can say for now is that the lead suspect is not a Ghanaian, though we believe he is working with local collaborators,” he said.
Mr. Mubarak assured the House that the seized items remain at their original location under tight security, and that no individual, including officials from the Ministry, has tampered with the contents.
He reiterated government’s resolve to get to the bottom of the matter. “Once investigations are complete and arrests are made, the names of those involved will be made public and the full force of the law will be applied,” the Minister assured.
Investigations are currently underway to unravel the full network behind the suspected counterfeit operation and bring the perpetrators to justice.