The Accra High Court has rejected a request by the lead lawyer for former National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Chief Executive Officer, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, to postpone the trial for several weeks.
Joseph Kpemka, who is leading Abdul-Hamid’s defence team, asked the court for an adjournment because some members of the team were unwell, exhausted, and the Bar Conference was also approaching.
The court, however, declined the request and directed the parties to return tomorrow for the continuation of the case management conference.
Mustapha Abdul-Hamid and seven others are standing trial over allegations of extorting money from people and businesses in the petroleum sector.
The accused persons had earlier applied to have the charge sheet struck out. The court dismissed the application, allowing the pre-trial process to continue.
Speaking to the media after the proceedings, Mr Kpemka explained why the defence team had asked for the adjournment.
“You recall that when we applied to the office of the CJ to waive the holidays for us to have the vacation, he actually indicated that adjournments are actually at the discretion of trial courts and not the CJ, and that if we needed that, we should pass it through the court. And we have attended court throughout the holidays. There’s no adjournment that we have been absent,” he said.
He said the defence team had several reasons for making the request.
“Counsel has been unwell. That’s one. And two, you know that the bar conference is coming next week. And subsequently, we have other activities just before, and we are exhausted. I mean, the legal year took a toll on us.
“We are all exhausted. And we also needed that maybe we could get the judge’s attention to give us a few more days after the legal year so that we come back in October,” he explained.
Despite the reasons given by the defence, the court refused to grant the request.
“But my lord said that we should come back tomorrow. And that he was not acceding to the prayer. And we are obliged to be in court tomorrow, and we will so be,” Mr Kpemka said.
Mr Kpemka stressed that the request was made because of genuine concerns and not simply to delay the case.
“As I indicated, there were good reasons why we wanted the adjournment. It wasn’t a frolic of our own that we wanted to embark upon. As I indicated, on grounds of ill health, one. Are you not feeling well yourself?
“Yes, and a number of counsel actually. And then two, that we were also talking about one fundamental issue, which is the bar conference next week,” he said.
He added that the defence team was hoping to get a few weeks to rest and recover from what he described as a “very torturous journey” during the legal year.
Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, a former Minister for Information under the Akufo-Addo administration, was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority in 2021.
He and seven others are facing allegations of extorting money from players in the petroleum sector.
The accused persons had earlier filed an application seeking to strike out the charge sheet, but the court dismissed it. This cleared the way for the pre-trial process to continue.
The parties are expected to return to court tomorrow for the continuation of the case management conference.
