Godfred Yeboah Dame, a former Attorney-General and lawyer for former National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) Chief Executive Officer Hanan Abdul-Wahab, has quizzed the Attorney-General on how his client could have attempted to withdraw money from a frozen account.
Dame rejected claims by the Attorney-General that his client attempted to access funds in a frozen bank account, arguing that there is no valid court order to freeze the accounts at the time of his arrest.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom, July 5, Dame stated, “How can one attempt to withdraw money from a frozen account? The point is that it is even incorrect to say that there is an order freezing the account because the order freezing the account was granted over a year ago under the earlier arraignment of Hanan before court, and that order lapsed when the Attorney-General withdrew all the charges, and he was re-arrested”.
“Pursuant to his re-arrest, if you recall, he was presented before court again, and there had to be a fresh bail application. In the same way, all the orders made under the earlier arrest also lapsed,” he explained.
“If the Attorney-General desires a fresh freezing order, all they need to do is apply. Why doesn’t he want to apply for a fresh freezing order? Why is he resorting to this means of violating the rights of an accused person?” Dame questioned.
“I am surprised the Attorney-General will be doing that. I served in that office. Never once did I authorise the arrest of any person. Never once did I authorise the curtailment of a person’s right of movement,” he said.
Dame further recounted several accused persons who were standing trial during his tenure, including Dr Stephen Opuni, Seidu Agongo, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson and Collins Dauda, who were permitted to travel abroad pursuant to court orders.
“There was never an occasion I authorised any arrest at the airport, never at all. What is happening? We live in a different republic now,” he added.
“I was not granted access to my client. They said they do not work on weekends. So I asked how they picked a person on a weekend and don’t work on weekends. I was there with Hanan’s wife. We were denied access. I don’t know what they are doing to him,” he stated.
Earlier, Dame challenged the Attorney-General to produce evidence of the ex-NAFCO CEO’s attempts to withdraw funds from frozen accounts.
The development follows, Deputy Attorney-General, Dr Justice Srem Sai, has disclosed that the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, has been arrested at the Accra International Airport after allegedly trying to illegally withdraw money from his frozen Republic Bank account.
According to Dr Justice Srem Sai, Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba was arrested after an attempt to use “false means” to access funds in a frozen bank account.
Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba is currently on trial for stealing and causing financial loss to the state and had been granted permission by the High Court to travel to the United Kingdom for a few days.
Dr Justice Srem Sai disclosed that although the court had allowed him to travel to the UK, he will ask the court on Monday to cancel that permission.
In an X post on Saturday, July 4, Dr Sai wrote, “Law enforcement officers have, a while ago, arrested Mr HANAN ABDUL-WAHAB ALUDIBA at the Accra International Airport.
MR ALUDIBA, who is currently standing trial for stealing and causing financial loss to the Republic, was granted leave by the trial High Court to travel to the UK for a few days.
It was, however, MR ALUDIBA’s attempt to use false means to empty his frozen bank account with Republic Bank on Thursday which occasioned tonight’s arrest.
The learned Attorney-General will, on Monday, seek a review of the court order which granted MR ALUDIBA leave to travel out of the country”.
