The High Court has pushed back the trial of former National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) CEO Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, to October 7, 2026. The delay came after the court agreed to hear an application demanding the release of mobile phones and other properties seized from the accused.
The case was set to begin the prosecution’s examination-in-chief of its first witness on September 29. Instead, lead counsel for Hanan Abdul-Wahab, Godfred Yeboah Dame, asked the court to order the prosecution to return phones and other items taken from his client. Some of these phones were seized last year, while others were confiscated following Hanan’s arrest at the airport.
Dame said the phones contain information critical to preparing his client’s defence. He cited Article 19(2)(e) and (g) of the constitution, which guarantees accused persons adequate time and facilities to prepare their defence.
Counsel for Faiza Seidu Wuni, Augustines Obour, also requested the release of gadgets seized from his client. He said the devices would help the defence raise objections during the trial.
The prosecution, led by Principal State Attorney Esi Dentaa Yankah, opposed delaying the proceedings. Yankah told the court that the day’s session was meant to start the prosecution’s presentation of evidence through its first witness. She said the court, as a court of record, would capture the proceedings for later review by the defence. The prosecution filed its witness statement on June 3, 2026, and a supplementary statement on June 11, with no new information that would justify halting the trial.
Justice Francis Achibonga ruled the court must first decide on the application about the seized phones before the trial continued. The judge said the first accused’s counsel might need access to the phones to prepare the defence properly. He added that adequate defence preparation includes the ability to challenge the prosecution’s evidence.
The court adjourned the trial to October 7 at 11am. It said the trial would resume after it ruled on whether to release the phones and other properties to the first accused.
The case against Hanan Abdul-Wahab and Faiza Seidu Wuni is one of several high-profile trials involving former officials of state agencies. The delay underscores ongoing legal debates about the rights of accused persons to access evidence held by the state during criminal proceedings. The release of seized phones has become a significant issue in cases where digital evidence may play a central role in the defence strategy.
According to 3News.
