The Court of Appeal has put on hold the ongoing trial of the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, at the High Court.
A three-member panel chaired by Justice Noble Nkrumah ruled on Monday, October 19, 2026, that the legal challenge mounted by Hanan’s defense team demonstrated exceptional circumstances sufficient to freeze proceedings until his appeal is determined. Justices Lydia Osei Marfo and George Boadi also sat on the panel.
Lead counsel Godfred Yeboah Dame, a former Attorney-General representing Hanan, had approached the appellate court to set aside a July 2026 High Court decision that rejected an attempt to throw out the charges over fatal flaws on the charge sheet. Hanan and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, are facing multiple counts including stealing, defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, and money laundering.
Advancing his arguments, Mr Dame contended that the prosecution lumped 86 distinct financial transactions spanning 2017 to 2025 into single counts, such as a GH¢50 million stealing charge, without providing specific details of the alleged acts. Citing Section 109 of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30), he stressed that failing to set out exact particulars prejudiced the accused persons’ constitutional right to a fair trial.
Deputy Attorney-General Dr Justice Srem-Sai opposed the motion, insisting that the charge sheet offered sufficient clarity and that grouping repeated offences committed over a period was permissible under Ghanaian law. He cautioned that stalling the case would only prolong the judicial process unnecessarily.
Delivering the ruling, the court observed that the charge sheet serves as the foundation of any criminal prosecution and any fundamental challenge to its validity must be settled first. Consequently, the appellate bench ordered a full stay of the High Court proceedings pending the final determination of the appeal.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
