The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has rearrested former National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) Chief Executive, Hanan Abdul-Wahab, and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, soon after the Attorney-General dropped all charges against them in a pending criminal matter.
The move came shortly after the pair were freed by the court on Tuesday, 5 May, following the Attorney-General’s Department withdrawing the charges. The two had faced trial with other defendants and firms over their alleged parts in procuring and supplying food items under the national School Feeding Programme, in a case involving a suspected GH¢78 million loss to the state.
Earlier in court, the Deputy Attorney-General, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, told the bench that the prosecution had opted to halt proceedings against the accused after new evidence surfaced.
“Following the discovery of fresh evidence, we have, a while ago, withdrawn from the prosecution of all the Accused Persons in the case of THE REPUBLIC v HANAN ABDUL-WAHAB ALUDIBA and 4 OTHERS,” he stated in a post on Facebook.
He noted the choice was meant to guarantee each accused receives “a fair and speedy trial in accordance with the Constitution.
”The court then dismissed the charges against the accused, resulting in their release. Yet, in a swift twist, EOCO officers stepped in moments later to rearrest Hanan Abdul-Wahab and Faiza Seidu Wuni. The grounds for the fresh arrest have not yet been formally revealed.
The matter has seen drawn-out legal wrangling, including clashes over witness statements and the makeup of the prosecution team. At the last adjourned sitting, the prosecution had tried to replace newly filed witness statements with older ones, while defense counsel contested the involvement of an Economic and Organised Crime Office official in the case.
The Presiding judge, Justice Achibonga, had ordered the Attorney-General’s Department to show proof of valid approval for the officer’s role. The latest turn is likely to heighten public focus on the case, as concerns arise about the legal and procedural fallout of the charge withdrawal and EOCO’s later rearrest.
