Hanan Abdul trial: EOCO returns £6,700, GH¢2,750, laptops and phones

The Economic and Organised Crime Office has returned cash, laptops and mobile phones seized from former Ghana Buffer Stock Company chief executive Hanan Abdul and his co-accused after a dispute over access to the devices delayed the start of prosecution evidence.

EOCO released £6,700, GH¢2,750, two laptops and six mobile phones on Monday, October 5, 2026. The property had been seized from Mr Abdul, his wife and their driver, who are standing trial over alleged financial crimes against the state.

Defence lawyers argued that the electronic devices contained information central to their clients’ defence. At the September 29 hearing, the court declined to allow the prosecution to call its first witness before determining an application seeking the release of the seized property.

Lead counsel for Mr Abdul, Godfred Dame, told the court that his client had filed a motion to compel EOCO to return the items.

He said access to the phones was necessary to prepare for the trial, including assessing documents the prosecution intended to present and raising objections where appropriate.

“The phones contain information necessary for the conduct of the trial and related to matters that are central to the subject matter of the proceedings,” Mr Dame said.

“We need them to enable the first accused prepare adequately for his defence, including raising objections to documents to be tendered by the prosecution.”

Augustine Obour, representing Mr Abdul’s wife, also told the court that his client had requested the return of her electronic devices. He said they would form the basis of her defence.

The prosecution argued that the trial could proceed while the question of whether the accused were entitled to the seized items was determined later.

Justice Francis Achibonga disagreed. The judge said the application needed to be addressed first because the defence might require the phones to prepare adequately for the proceedings.

The court’s decision concerned access to material potentially needed for the defence. It did not determine the financial crime allegations against the accused.

Some of the returned items had been seized during investigations in 2025. The money, one laptop and two mobile phones were seized when Mr Abdul was arrested at the airport on July 4, 2026, according to the supplied account.

EOCO subsequently returned the property following the September hearing.