Court of Appeal suspends Hanan Abdul-Wahab’s NAFCO trial
Hanan Abdul-Wahab’s lawyers argue that the charges do not give sufficient details of the alleged offences. The criminal proceedings have been suspended while the Court of Appeal considers their challenge.
The Court of Appeal has suspended the criminal trial of former National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) chief executive Hanan Abdul-Wahab pending a decision on his appeal against a High Court ruling on the charges.
The order grants a stay of proceedings, putting the trial on hold while the appeal is determined. It does not dismiss the charges or resolve the allegations against him.
The dispute stems from a July 2026 ruling by the trial judge, Justice Francis Achibonga, who ordered amendments to two charges relating to defrauding by false pretences but rejected a defence application to strike them out.
Mr Abdul-Wahab’s lawyers, led by former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, argue that the charges lack sufficient particulars of the alleged offences.
Their challenge concerns whether the charges provide adequate details of the conduct alleged against their client.
After the July ruling, the defence appealed to the Court of Appeal and asked the High Court to suspend the trial until that challenge had been decided.
The High Court refused the request, prompting the lawyers to renew their application before the appellate court.
The Court of Appeal has now granted the stay. Deputy Attorney General Dr Justice Srem-Sai represented the state in the proceedings.
The substantive appeal remains pending. It challenges the High Court’s handling of the disputed charges, rather than asking the appellate court to determine Mr Abdul-Wahab’s guilt or innocence at this stage.