By Nadia Ntiamoah
Lawyers for former National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) Chief Executive Officer, Abdul-Wahab Hanan Aludiba, have launched a blistering attack on the Attorney-General’s Department, accusing the government of deliberately violating a High Court order by orchestrating their client’s arrest at the airport despite judicial approval for his travel to the United Kingdom.
In a strongly worded press statement issued on July 5, 2026, the law firm Dame & Partners, led by former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame, described the arrest as unlawful and announced plans to commence contempt proceedings against the Attorney-General, Dominic Ayine, Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem-Sai, and the Director of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).
The legal team alleged that the arrest represented a deliberate disregard for the authority of the High Court and amounted to political harassment under the guise of criminal prosecution.
Trial Marked By Legal Twists
Hanan and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, are facing fresh criminal charges after the Attorney-General withdrew an earlier prosecution in May 2026, citing newly discovered evidence.
The original case involved allegations of stealing, money laundering, abuse of public office and causing financial loss to the state.
Following the withdrawal of the initial charges, the Attorney-General filed a fresh charge sheet containing 20 counts, accusing Hanan of fraudulently obtaining GH¢734,400 in rent payments, diverting approximately GH¢50.8 million through Sawtina Enterprise and authorising more than GH¢3.34 million in payments to a company allegedly linked to his wife.
The couple have consistently denied all allegations.
Court Approved Medical Travel
According to the defence, the High Court in Accra, presided over by Justice Achibonga, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court Judge, granted Hanan permission on June 29, 2026, to travel to the United Kingdom between July 4 and July 12 for a scheduled appointment with his optician.
The application was granted after hearing submissions from both the prosecution and defence, including arguments presented by Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem-Sai.
The lawyers argue that the decision was entirely consistent with established judicial practice allowing accused persons to travel abroad for legitimate medical
while standing trial.
They cited previous cases in which individuals such as Stephen Opuni, Seidu Agongo, Collins Dauda, Cassiel Ato Forson, and Kwabena Duffuor were granted similar travel permissions while criminal proceedings were pending against them.
Deputy Attorney-General’s Justification
Shortly after Hanan’s arrest at Kotoka International Airport, Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem-Sai published a Facebook post stating that the arrest was not related to the court’s travel order.
Instead, he alleged that Hanan attempted to use “false means” to access and empty a frozen account at Republic Bank (Ghana) PLC.
He also announced that the Attorney-General intended to apply to the High Court for a review of the order granting Hanan permission to travel.
Defence Rejects Allegations
Dame & Partners dismissed the Deputy Attorney-General’s explanation as “laden with falsehood” and described it as a failed attempt to justify what they called an unlawful arrest.
The lawyers challenged the State to produce evidence that Hanan had withdrawn—or even attempted to withdraw—money from any of his bank accounts after the court granted him permission to travel.
“We challenge him to produce evidence of a withdrawal of any sum by our client from any of his bank accounts since the date of the court order,” the statement said.
According to the defence, no such evidence exists.
Dispute Over Frozen Accounts
The legal team further argued that the Attorney-General’s justification is fundamentally flawed because, in their view, no valid freezing order currently exists over Hanan’s bank accounts.
They explained that the original freezing orders were issued during the first prosecution, which was discontinued on May 5, 2026, when the Attorney-General withdrew all charges against Hanan.
According to the lawyers, once the prosecution was discontinued and Hanan discharged, every ancillary order—including bail conditions and freezing orders—automatically lapsed.
They further pointed to a ruling delivered on May 20, 2026, by Justice Kwame Gyamfi Osei at the Adentan High Court, which they say recognized that Hanan’s re-arrest initiated “a fresh process,” implying there was no existing freezing order.
The lawyers disclosed that they had formally communicated this legal position to the Executive Director of Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) approximately two weeks before the airport incident.
Contempt Action Planned
Describing the airport arrest as “a blatant and wilful violation” of a lawful court order, Dame said his legal team would commence contempt proceedings against the Attorney-General, the Deputy Attorney-General and the Director of the BNI.
The statement accused the Attorney-General’s Department of masterminding repeated violations of court orders and using law enforcement agencies to harass Hanan.
“We consider the development very serious as it confirms our suspicion that the Attorney-General and his Deputy are the masterminds of the frequent violations of court orders by law enforcement agencies and the persistent harassment of our client and other citizens of Ghana under the current administration,” the statement asserted.
In one of the strongest remarks contained in the statement, the lawyers concluded: “Freedom, in fact, has become a rare and expensive commodity.”
Legal Battle Intensifies
The airport arrest has significantly escalated tensions surrounding the Buffer Stock case, which has already generated widespread political and legal debate.
Earlier, the opposition New Patriotic Party accused the government of using EOCO and other security agencies to persecute political opponents, while policy think tank IMANI Africa questioned the Attorney-General’s decision to withdraw and subsequently refile charges.
