NewzThe Accra High Court has suspended proceedings in the criminal trial of former National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) Chief Executive Officer, Hanan Abdul-Wahab, and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, pending the determination of an injunction application before the Supreme Court challenging the conduct of trials during the legal vacation. The court, presided over by Justice Francis Apangabuno Achibonga, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court judge, adjourned the case to August 25, 2026, to await the Supreme Court’s decision. The suspension follows a broader legal challenge mounted by defence lawyers against the Chief Justice’s directive allowing selected criminal trials to proceed during the judiciary’s legal vacation.
Defence counsel for both Hanan Abdul-Wahab and Kwabena Adu-Boahene had petitioned Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, arguing that the directive departs from established court practice and is inconsistent with the Constitution. The lawyers contend that High Court judges permitted to sit during the vacation are traditionally expected to handle only motions and interlocutory matters, not substantive criminal trials. Godfred Yeboah Dame, counsel for Hanan Abdul-Wahab and a former Attorney-General, described the authorisation as “irregular and contrary to law”.
An injunction application has now been filed at the Supreme Court seeking to restrain the two specialised High Courts from conducting criminal proceedings during the legal vacation. The application is expected to be heard on August 20, 2026 . The Supreme Court’s decision on this application will have significant implications not only for the Hanan Abdul-Wahab trial but also for other high-profile cases designated to proceed during the vacation, including the trial of former National Signals Bureau Director Kwabena Adu-Boahene.
In a bench ruling, Justice Achibonga rejected the defence’s request for an adjournment to the next legal term — which would have meant adjourning the case to October — stating this would defeat the purpose for which he had been issued a warrant to sit as a vacation judge. However, the judge acknowledged that once an injunction application is pending before a Superior Court, a lower court should not continue with the conduct which the application seeks to restrain until the application has been determined. Hanan Abdul-Wahab and his wife are f…
The Accra High Court has adjourned the trial of former National Signals Bureau (NSB) Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene and his wife, Angela Adjei-Boateng, to August 25, pending the determination of an injunction application before the Supreme Court. The application, which seeks to restrain the High Court from hearing the case during the legal vacation, is scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court on August 20, 2026. Justice Francis Apangabuno Achibonga said although the filing of an injunction application does not automatically stay proceedings, he was reluctant to continue with a trial that a superior court had been asked to restrain.
He consequently adjourned the case to August 25 at 9:30 a.m. The case was called on Monday, August 17, with Peter Osei-Asamoah holding brief for substantive defence counsel, Samuel Atta Akyea. Mr Osei-Asamoah asked the court to adjourn the proceedings, explaining that Mr Atta Akyea had written to the court on August 14 to indicate that other professional commitments prevented him from attending during the legal vacation.
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