The trial of former National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCo) Chief Executive Officer Hanan Abdul-Wahab has been stalled after his lawyers challenged the Economic and Organised Crime Office’s (EOCO) continued retention of his mobile phones and other personal belongings.
The legal dispute over the seized items prevented the prosecution from beginning the scheduled examination-in-chief of its first witness on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
Counsel for Mr Abdul-Wahab, led by former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame, filed an application seeking an order for the release of the properties, which include mobile phones, cash and other personal effects seized by EOCO.
The defence argued that continued retention of the items without sufficient legal justification could infringe the accused’s rights and interfere with his ability to prepare his defence.
A major concern raised by the lawyers was the continued detention of the mobile phones, which they said could be relevant to evidence the prosecution intends to present during the trial.
According to the defence, access to the devices is necessary to enable Mr Abdul-Wahab and his lawyers to properly examine evidence relating to the phones and, where necessary, object to or challenge material the prosecution seeks to tender.
The Attorney-General opposed the immediate hearing of the application, telling the court that the application had been served on the State at short notice and that the prosecution required adequate time to respond.
The State also argued that the proceedings had been specifically scheduled for the examination-in-chief of its witness and that the trial should therefore continue as planned.
The court, however, declined to proceed with the witness examination before determining the application.
It held that, given the defence’s argument that access to the phones was necessary for Mr Abdul-Wahab to adequately prepare his case and exercise his right to challenge evidence when it is tendered, it would be unfair to require the prosecution to commence its case before the application was resolved.
The court has consequently put the substantive trial on hold pending a determination of the application for the release of the seized properties.
The development shifts the immediate focus of the case from the prosecution’s witnesses to the legal question of whether EOCO can continue to retain the accused’s personal effects and, particularly, his mobile phones.
The case has been adjourned to October 7, 2026, when the court is expected to hear the application and determine the way forward.
Until then, the prosecution’s planned examination-in-chief remains pending.
