Former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, has been arrested at the Accra International Airport over an alleged attempt to use false means to access funds in a frozen bank account, according to the Deputy Attorney-General.
Dr Justice Srem Sai disclosed in a Facebook post on Saturday that Abdul-Wahab, who is standing trial on charges of stealing and causing financial loss to the Republic, had been granted permission by the High Court to travel to the United Kingdom for a few days. However, subsequent developments prompted the intervention of law enforcement officers.
"Law enforcement officers have, a while ago, arrested Mr Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba at the Accra International Airport," Dr Sai wrote. "It was, however, Mr Aludiba's attempt to use false means to empty his frozen bank account with Republic Bank on Thursday which occasioned tonight's arrest".
Dr Sai also disclosed that the Attorney-General will, on Monday, seek a review of the court order which granted Abdul-Wahab leave to travel out of the country.
However, lawyers for Abdul-Wahab have announced plans to initiate contempt proceedings against the Attorney-General, Deputy Attorney-General, and the Director of the Bureau of National Investigations, alleging they deliberately violated a High Court order by causing their client's arrest despite judicial approval for his travel.
In a statement issued on Sunday, counsel for Abdul-Wahab, Godfred Yeboah Dame, described as "false" claims made by Dr Srem Sai seeking to justify the arrest.
According to the lawyers, the High Court, presided over by Justice Achibonga, on June 29 permitted Abdul-Wahab to travel to the United Kingdom from July 4 to July 12 for a medical appointment with his optician.
The statement said the court granted the application after hearing submissions from both the defence and the prosecution, including Dr Srem Sai, and that the order was in line with established judicial precedent allowing accused persons standing trial to travel for medical and other legitimate reasons. Dame argued that several high-profile accused persons had previously been granted similar travel permissions while facing criminal proceedings.
The lawyers further rejected allegations that Abdul-Wahab attempted to withdraw funds from a frozen Republic Bank account before leaving the country, challenging the Deputy Attorney-General to "produce evidence of a withdrawal of any sum by our client from any of his bank accounts since the date of the court order".
Dame maintained that there was no valid freezing order in force, arguing that any previous freezing orders lapsed after the prosecution withdrew earlier charges against Abdul-Wahab on May 5, 2026, leading to his discharge.
The statement further referenced a ruling by the High Court at Adentan on May 20, 2026, in relation to fresh charges filed on May 15, in which the court is said to have held that Abdul-Wahab's re-arrest initiated "a fresh process," implying there was no subsisting freezing order.
Describing the airport arrest as a "blatant and wilful violation" of a High Court order, Dame said contempt proceedings would be filed against the Attorney-General, his deputy, and the Director of the BNI.
