State appeals Court of Appeal ruling suspending Hanan Aludiba trial over charge sheet dispute

Deputy Attorney-General Dr Justice Srem-Sai has warned that allowing the Court of Appeal’s decision to suspend the trial of Hanan Aludiba and his wife, Faiza Seidu, to stand could make it easier for criminal proceedings to be halted over objections to charges. In a Facebook post on Thursday, October 22, Dr Srem-Sai disclosed that the Republic had filed an appeal at the Supreme Court challenging the Court of Appeal’s order suspending proceedings at the High Court. He argued that complaints about charges on a charge sheet should not, on their own, be sufficient grounds to stop a criminal trial, especially when the objections have already been dismissed by the trial court.

“If the Court of Appeal’s decision is allowed to stand, no prosecution will ever be possible, since all it would take for a trial to be suspended is an Accused Person complaining about anything on the charge sheet,” he said. Dr Srem-Sai added that the state had challenged the order because, in its view, the law did not support suspending a criminal trial under those circumstances. He said the appeal was filed on Wednesday, a day after the Court of Appeal issued its suspension order.

The Court of Appeal halted the High Court proceedings on Monday, October 19, pending the determination of Hanan’s appeal challenging alleged defects in the charge sheet. The defence’s objections relate to aspects of the charges brought against the accused persons. The Supreme Court is now being asked to review the suspension order.

Its decision will determine the state’s challenge to the stay of proceedings, while the underlying criminal case remains before the courts. The State has appealed to the Supreme Court against the Court of Appeal’s decision to suspend the criminal trial of former Buffer Stock CEO Hanan Aludiba and his wife, Faiza Seidu. Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, announced the appeal in a Facebook post on Thursday, October 22, 2026, saying it was filed on Wednesday, October 21.

The appeal follows the Court of Appeal’s decision on Monday, October 19, to halt proceedings at the High Court pending the determination of Hanan Aludiba’s challenge to alleged defects in the charge sheet. Hanan Aludiba and his wife stand trial on multiple charges, including stealing, defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the Republic, using public office for profit, dishonestly receiving, and money laundering. The High Court dismissed Hanan’s application to strike out the charge sheet in July 2026.

He subsequently appealed that decision and sought a stay of proceedings, which the Court of Appeal granted on October 19. Dr Srem-Sai argued that a criminal trial should not be suspended simply because an accused person has raised objections to charges, particularly where those objections have already been dismissed as lacking merit. “The law does not allow a criminal trial to be suspended simply because an Accused Person has complained about some of the charges on the charge sheet, more so when those complaints were dismissed as meritless,” he stated.