Buffer stock case adjourned pending application to release seized phones, properties
The judge, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court judge, adjourned the case pending the hearing of the request.
The High Court in Accra has ruled that an application for the return of seized phones and personal belongings must be determined before the criminal trial of former National Food and Buffer Stock Company chief executive Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba can begin.
Mr Abdul-Wahab and his wife, Faiza Seidu, face charges of misuse of state funds. The prosecution had been due to open its case and call its first witness on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
Justice Francis Apangabonu Achibonga said adequate preparation for a defence includes the ability to object to prosecution evidence. It would therefore be improper to begin the trial without first deciding the application, he ruled.
The judge, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court judge, adjourned the case pending the hearing of the request.
Mr Abdul-Wahab’s lawyers, led by former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame, are seeking the release of mobile phones and other personal property allegedly seized by the State.
Mr Dame told the court that the devices contained information relevant to the case and were needed to prepare his client’s defence. Some phones, he said, had been seized last year, while others were taken following Mr Abdul-Wahab’s arrest at the airport.
He relied on Article 19(2)(e) and (g) of the 1992 Constitution, arguing that an accused person must have adequate time and facilities to prepare a defence.
The prosecution opposed the adjournment. Principal State Attorney Esi Dentaa Yankah said the first witness should be allowed to begin giving evidence as scheduled.
She argued that proceedings would be recorded, giving the defence an opportunity to review the testimony and cross-examine the witness on any issues arising.
Ms Yankah also said the prosecution’s witness statements had been available to the parties for months. The initial statement was filed on June 3, 2026, and a supplementary statement on June 11.
There was nothing new in those statements that should prevent the prosecution from presenting its case, she maintained.
The court nevertheless held that the dispute over the seized items had to be resolved first. Justice Achibonga said the trial would begin only if the court determined that Mr Abdul-Wahab was not entitled to the return of the properties, particularly the phones.
