Former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame has raised concerns about the arrest and continued detention of former National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) Chief Executive Officer, Hanan Abdul-Wahab, stating that he was denied access to his client following his arrest at the Accra International Airport (AIA).
Speaking after the arrest, Dame said he and Abdul-Wahab’s wife were prevented from meeting him after he was taken into custody by officers believed to be from the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), now known as the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).
According to Dame, officials informed them that they do not operate on weekends, a response he described as puzzling given that the arrest itself took place on a weekend.
“I was not granted access to my client. They said they do not work on weekends, so I asked how they could arrest someone on a weekend and then claim they do not work on weekends. Hanan’s wife and I were there, but we were denied access. I do not know what is being done to him,” he stated.
The former Attorney-General also disputed claims made by Deputy Attorney-General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai that Abdul-Wahab’s arrest was linked to an attempt to access money in a frozen bank account.
Dame argued that no valid freezing order was in force at the time of the alleged incident.
He explained that the original order was secured in connection with an earlier criminal case against Abdul-Wahab, but ceased to have effect after the Attorney-General’s Office withdrew the charges and initiated a fresh legal process.
According to him, once the previous case was discontinued, all orders associated with it, including the freezing order, lapsed unless the prosecution sought a new order from the court.
“The account cannot be described as frozen under a valid court order. If the Attorney-General believes a fresh freezing order is necessary, the proper legal procedure is to apply for one through the courts,” Dame noted.
He further questioned why authorities would resort to what he described as measures that infringe on the rights of an accused person instead of pursuing legal remedies available under the law.
Dame also expressed concern over the circumstances of the arrest, noting that during his tenure as Attorney-General, he never authorised the arrest of accused persons at airports, particularly when courts had granted them permission to travel.
His comments come amid an escalating disagreement between Abdul-Wahab’s legal team and the Attorney-General’s Office following the former NAFCO boss’s arrest shortly before a planned trip to the United Kingdom for a medical appointment reportedly approved by the High Court.
While the Attorney-General’s Office maintains that the arrest was prompted by an alleged attempt to unlawfully access funds, Abdul-Wahab’s lawyers insist there is no evidence to support that claim and argue that the arrest raises serious legal and constitutional concerns.
