An Accra High Court has dismissed an application from the Attorney-General’s Department that sought to revoke the permission previously granted to Hanan Abdul-Wahab, the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Buffer Stock Company, for travel to London for medical treatment.
The court determined that the application was moot, as the travel order issued on July 4 had already expired on July 12.
Hanan Abdul-Wahab was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport after prosecutors claimed he had violated certain conditions of his bail while attempting to travel.
In response to the court’s ruling, his lead counsel, former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame, criticized the State’s management of the situation, accusing it of obstructing the enforcement of the court’s prior order.
According to Mr. Dame, the actions of the State hindered his client from taking advantage of the travel permission granted by the court.
“I think first and foremost, the conduct of the State must really be emphasised,” he said.
“I’m quite surprised that the State will actually behave in this way, conduct itself in a way just to violate a citizen of Ghana in this manner.”
Mr. Dame claimed that his client was held for four days and asserted that the State’s decision to submit an application to revoke the travel order after its expiration was inappropriate.
“They prevented the court order from being obeyed by arresting him and detaining him for the period that you all know, four days and four nights, and then deliberately filed a motion and faced it until after the lapse of the order,” he stated.
He contended that the Attorney-General’s application could not succeed since the travel permission was no longer valid.
“I’m surprised that the Deputy Attorney-General will come to court seeking to revoke another which has lapsed. Clearly that application was incompetent and could not be granted because the order had lapsed,” Mr. Dame said.
He additionally charged the State with intentionally allowing the order to expire by obstructing his client’s ability to travel.
“They orchestrated the lapse of the order because they arrested him, put him in their cells and seized his passport for him, preventing him from travelling,” he alleged.
The ruling by the court indicates that the Attorney-General’s request to annul the medical travel permission will not move forward.
The issues surrounding Hanan Abdul-Wahab’s bail conditions, his travel application, and the ongoing retention of his passport and other personal belongings continue to be points of dispute between the defense and the State.
