BY Issah Olegor
The appearance of embattled former National Signals Bureau (NSB) Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene at a funeral in Berekum over the weekend has triggered intense discussion on social media after he was seen exchanging warm pleasantries, including a handshake and embrace, with Deputy Attorney-General Dr Justice Srem-Sai, the government lawyer involved in prosecuting his ongoing criminal case.
Adu-Boahene attended the pre-burial service for Nana Joseph Amponsah Konadu, the late father of the current NSB Director-General, Dr George Atta Boateng, his successor in Berekum in the Bono Region on Saturday, August 22, 2026.
The event brought together government officials, political figures, security personalities and mourners from all walks of life to commiserate with the bereaved family.
Among those present was Chief of Staff Dr Julius Debrah, who also interacted with Adu-Boahene at the gathering.
The former NSB boss was seen exchanging pleasantries with several prominent personalities, with his encounter with Dr Srem-Sai becoming the most talked-about moment after images and video clips circulated online.
The encounter has attracted attention largely because of the legal positions the two men hold outside the funeral setting.
Adu-Boahene is the principal accused in a criminal prosecution in which the Republic alleges that GH¢49.1 million intended for a cyber-defence project was diverted.
Dr Srem-Sai, meanwhile, has been appearing for the Republic as Deputy Attorney-General and has been actively involved in the prosecution of the case.
Yet, at the funeral, the two were captured engaging cordially, with the interaction appearing far removed from the adversarial atmosphere that has characterised proceedings in court.
The images have consequently generated contrasting reactions. Some social media users have questioned how a government prosecutor and an accused person in a major financial crime case could share such a warm public moment.
Others have argued that the encounter should not be interpreted as evidence of any change in their respective legal positions, pointing out that funerals in Ghana often bring people together across political, professional and personal divides.
For many Ghanaians, the episode has also highlighted the distinction between a lawyer’s professional duty in court and ordinary human interaction outside the courtroom.
The fact that Dr Srem-Sai is prosecuting Adu-Boahene does not, by itself, establish personal hostility between the two men, and the reported interaction at the funeral does not alter the charges before the court.
The development comes against the backdrop of an increasingly contentious trial that has generated substantial public debate over the alleged GH¢49.1 million transaction, the cyber-defence equipment said to have been procured, the accounts through which the money moved and the evidence being presented by the prosecution.
Adu-Boahene and his wife, Angela Adjei-Boateng, have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them and remain before the High Court.
The trial itself has also recently been affected by a dispute over proceedings during the legal vacation.
The High Court initially directed the accused persons to appear with their lawyers or risk conducting the cross-examination of the fourth prosecution witness themselves after their lawyers failed to appear.
However, on August 17, the trial was subsequently adjourned to August 25 after Justice Francis Apangabuno Achibonga held that he could not continue while an injunction application challenging the conduct of proceedings during the legal vacation remained pending before the Supreme Court.
The prosecution has maintained that it has assembled substantial evidence to support its allegations, while the defence has consistently challenged aspects of the prosecution’s narrative and demanded that the case be determined strictly on evidence presented in court.
