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The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) upon remonstrance by lawyers for Mr. Hanan Abdul Wahab, former CEO of the Ghana Buffer Stock Company has returned to him £6,700, GHC2,750, 2 Laptop computers and at least 6 mobile phones seized from him, his Wife and their driver. Mr. Wahab and his Wife are standing trial in the case of Republic v Hanan Abdul Wahab (CR/0530/2026).
Some of the items were seized in the course of investigations in 2025 whilst the money, 1 laptop and 2 mobile phones were seized on 4 July 2026, when Hanan was arrested at the airport, detained for 4 days and prevented from travelling abroad pursuant to a court order granted for medical purposes.
At the last hearing of the case on 29th September, 2026, when the prosecution indicated its readiness to call its first witness, lead counsel for Hanan, Godfred Dame, submitted that the trial could not commence if the items seized were not returned to the accused persons, especially since the mobile phones contained critical pieces of evidence the defence would use in their defence against the case of the prosecution.
Mr. Dame thus filed a motion to that effect seeking to compel EOCO to release the items which Lawyers for Mr. Hanan deemed to be unlawfully seized and in the unlawful possession of EOCO.
According to Mr. Dame, "The phones contain information necessary for the conduct of the trial and related to matters that are central to the subject matter of the proceedings. We need them to enable the first accused prepare adequately for his defence, including raising objections to documents to be tendered by the prosecution, in accordance with Article 19(2)(e) and (g) of the 1992 Constitution".
Evidence Law lecturer at the Ghana School of Law and former State Prosecutor at the Attorney-General's chambers, the learned Augustine Obour who represents the second accused, Faizal Wuni, also informed the court that his client had requested the release of her electronic gadgets, which he said, would form the basis of his defence.
The prosecution disagreed with the view of defence and argued that the trial could proceed for the motion to determine whether the accused persons were entitled to the release of the seized items to be determined later.
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The trial court presided over by the firm Court of Appeal Judge, H/L Justice Francis Achibonga, however, agreed with the former Attorney General that the prosecution could not commence its case and call its first witness without first determining the application seeking the release of the phones and other properties of the first accused. The judge said that since counsel for the first accused might need the phones alleged to have been seized by the State to enable him to prepare adequately for the trial in accordance with Article 29(2)(d) and (g) of the Constitution, it was impossible to proceed with the trial when that issue had not been determined.
The view of Justice Achibonga follows his expression of displeasure with the the Attorney-General and EOCO for the continued seizure and their non-compliance with the orders of the Court for the return of the properties of Mr. Hanan and his wife in the possession of officers of EOCO.
The Law Platform sources at the offices of EOCO indicate that on Monday, 5th October, 2026, EOCO released the items the subject matter of the motion filed by counsel for the first accused, Godfred Yeboah Dame, to the accused persons.
The case of Republic v Hanan Abdul Wahab (CR/0530/2026) comes on today, 7th day of October, 2026 for the Court to hear the motion of lawyers of Mr. Hanan for the return of seized phones and gadgets before the commencement of trial. Given the return of the seized items, The Law Platform anticipates a mootness of the motion and a withdrawal of same by Lawyers for Mr. Hanan Wahab.
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