Dame to appeal High Court ruling directing amendment of charges against Hanan

Lawyer for former National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) Chief Executive Officer, Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has said he will appeal the High Court's decision directing the Attorney General to amend two charges in the ongoing buffer stock case.

An Accra High Court on Thursday, July 23, 2026, ordered the prosecution to amend counts 9 and 14, which relate to defrauding by false pretences.

Former NAFCO CEO Hanan moves to strike out charges

The court held that the two charges did not provide enough details of the alleged offences.

Reacting to the ruling after the proceedings, Dame said he was not satisfied with the court's decision and would challenge it at the Court of Appeal.

"Even though they've been ordered to amend some of the charges, we'll still file an appeal. We'll file an appeal against it, but I think the decision was not so sound, with the greatest respect to the judge," he said.

He explained that the appeal was intended to ensure that the rights of his client were protected before the trial begins.

"And he himself agreed that, yes, every decision is appealable, and it's all with a view to developing the criminal jurisprudence properly.

"And my consideration, professionally, is to ensure that the rights of my clients, as an accused person, are protected in every regard, before the trial commences. It's not just a matter of delay or anything. It's just a matter of ensuring that he properly ascertains the charges that are brought against him," Dame stated.

The former Attorney General also questioned the way the prosecution had presented the charges, arguing that they combined several transactions into a single count without giving enough details.

"You cannot have a sum of 50 million put together in one count, and you state in the same count that they consist of several payments. Which several payments? When did each take place? Are they related? Definitely, they're not related, and we know how Buffer Stock operates," he indicated.

He added that the lack of details would make it difficult for the accused to prepare an effective defence.

Court orders prosecution to amend charges in Hanan Abdul-Wahab Buffer Stock case

"It's actually a supply of foodstuffs to various institutions, so you can have one transaction affecting a school in the north, and another transaction also affecting another school in the Upper East Region or Upper West Region, and so how does the accused person proceed? He cannot be proceeding when his hands have been tied to his back and his eyes blindfolded," Dame added.



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