Attorney-General challenges Court of Appeal decision halting Hanan’s criminal trial

The Attorney-General has taken steps to overturn a Court of Appeal decision that temporarily suspended the criminal trial of former National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) Chief Executive Officer, Hanan Abdul-Wahab, and his wife, Faiza Sediu Wuni.

The appeal seeks to reverse the order staying proceedings at the High Court and allow the prosecution of the two accused persons to continue.

The development follows the Court of Appeal's decision on October 19, 2026, granting an application filed on behalf of the former NAFCO boss by his lawyer, former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame.

A three-member panel, chaired by Justice Noble Nkrumah, with Justices Lydia Osei Marfo and George Boadi, held that the application disclosed exceptional circumstances sufficient to justify suspending the trial.

Attorney-General disputes grounds for suspending trial

In challenging the decision, the Attorney-General argues that the Court of Appeal erred in treating a legal challenge to a criminal charge sheet as an exceptional circumstance warranting a stay of proceedings.

The prosecution maintains that the appellate court was wrong to halt the criminal trial on that basis.

As part of the reliefs sought, the Attorney-General is asking for the Court of Appeal's decision to be quashed and for an order directing the High Court to resume proceedings against the accused persons.

How the dispute over the charge sheet began

The controversy arose after lawyers for Hanan Abdul-Wahab challenged the validity of the charge sheet filed against him before the High Court.

His legal team sought to have the charges quashed, arguing against the propriety of the charges as presented.

However, the High Court dismissed the application in July 2026, holding that the charge sheet contained sufficient information to enable the accused to understand the allegations and prepare his defence.

Dissatisfied with that ruling, the former NAFCO Chief Executive filed an appeal and subsequently sought an order suspending the trial until the challenge to the charge sheet was determined.

The Court of Appeal granted the stay, emphasising the importance of a properly constituted charge sheet in criminal proceedings and the need to resolve challenges concerning it without unnecessary delay.

Criminal trial remains on hold

Hanan Abdul-Wahab and his wife are facing several criminal charges, including stealing, defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, using public office for profit, dishonestly receiving, money laundering and intentional misapplication of public funds.

The allegations have not been determined by the trial court.

The Attorney-General's latest appeal raises the question of whether the circumstances surrounding the challenge to the charge sheet justified suspending the criminal proceedings.

The filing of the appeal does not, by itself, set aside the existing stay order.

Consequently, the High Court proceedings remain suspended unless the stay is varied or set aside by a competent court.

The outcome of the Attorney-General's challenge will determine whether the prosecution can proceed with the trial while the dispute over the charge sheet remains unresolved.