'Can the AG ignore a court order?' - Appiah Danquah weighs in on Hanan's arrest

Director of Legal Affairs of the United Party (UP), Andrew Appiah-Danquah, has questioned the legality of the Attorney General's decision to arrest Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, the former CEO of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO)despite a court order granting him permission to travel abroad for medical treatment.

Speaking on TV3's NewDay on July 6, 2026, he argued that the move raises fundamental constitutional concerns about respect for judicial authority and the rule of law.

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According to Appiah-Danquah, the matter should not be viewed through a partisan lens, stressing that adherence to Ghana's constitution must remain paramount regardless of the political party involved.

"This is a very serious issue, if you ask me. I think this issue is not about Hanan. For me, I think this issue is something bigger than Hanan himself. I think this conversation is one about our constitution and our fidelity to the constitution," he stated.

He acknowledged that some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had previously been accused of failing to uphold constitutional principles.

He, however, insisted that such past actions should not justify such treatment by others over suspicion of similar conduct by any future government.

"Politics is not personal. Our fidelity must always be to our constitution, irrespective of who is at the other end. We should never deviate from our desire to continuously stay faithful to our constitution," he said.

Appiah-Danquah explained that the constitution deliberately separates the powers of the different arms of government and gives the judiciary the authority to make binding orders that must be respected.

He argued that the central legal issue was whether the Attorney General's office could disregard an existing court order by arresting a person who had been expressly permitted to travel.

"Where a court has given an order... the court actually ordered that the man's passport be granted him, and that he be allowed to travel for a number of days for medical checkup.

"The point is, like you rightly said, does the AG have the powers, in spite of the clear orders of the court, to arrest the man? I think for me, that's the issue," he noted.

He further argued that debates over whether bank accounts had been frozen were secondary to the constitutional questions raised by the arrest.

"The reasons about whether some accounts were frozen or they were not frozen is, for me, neither here nor there," he added.

The former NAFCO CEO was arrested at the Accra International Airport on July 5, 2026, for allegedly attempting to empty a frozen account and travelling to the United Kingdom.

He is standing trial for stealing and causing financial loss to the state.

JKB/VPO

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