NAM1 moves to subpoena 7 state institutions in ongoing Menzgold case

Nana Appiah Mensah, popularly known as NAM1 and founder of the now-defunct Menzgold Ghana Limited, has informed the High Court in Accra that he will not submit any witness statements in his defense. Instead, he plans to summon seven key state institutions to testify on his behalf.

The institutions NAM1 wishes to subpoena include the Ghana Police Service, Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), Bank of Ghana, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Minerals Commission, Agricultural Development Bank, and Zenith Bank.

This decision was conveyed in a letter to the court by NAM1’s lawyer, Kwame Akuffo Boafo, who was absent from proceedings due to health reasons. 

NAM1, along with two of his companies—Menzgold Ghana Limited and Brew Marketing Consult—faces 35 charges. These include unauthorized sale of gold, operating an unlicensed deposit-taking business, defrauding by false pretenses, inducement to invest, money laundering, and fraudulent breach of trust.

During the court session on Thursday, July 24, NAM1 personally addressed the judge, asking for more time to prepare his defense, particularly in light of his lawyer’s ongoing illness. He reiterated his intention to proceed with his defense and maintained his innocence after nearly seven years of legal battles.

Describing some of the court’s directions as “worrying and prejudicial,” NAM1’s legal team emphasized their strategy to rely on oral testimonies from the subpoenaed institutions rather than written witness statements.

In response, Senior State Attorney Watkins Adamah noted that while the defense had chosen to forgo written statements, the move to bring in external witnesses must not delay the trial process. 

The case has meanwhile been adjourned to July 31, 2025, for NAM1 to begin his defense.