Ghana’s opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP)jin88bet.onejin88bet.one hjin88bet.onejin88bet.oneas called on Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to withdraw the warrants allowing judges to hear the cases of former National Signals Bureau (NSB) Director-General Kwabeak168app.babyna Adu-Boahen and former Nationalak168app.babyak168app.baby Food and Buffer Stock Cak168app.babyompany Limited (NAFCO) Chief Executive Officer Hanan Abdul-Wahab during the legalak168app.babyak168app.babyak168app.baby vacation.
The party wants both proceedings susak168app.clubpended until the legal term resumes, arguing tak168app.clubak168app.clubhat continuing them during the vacation goes against established praak168app.clubctice governing the operation ak168app.clubak168app.clubof vacation courts.
The request follows the Chief Juak168app.clubks168app.sitestks168app.siteice’s decision to permit tks168app.sitehe cases to continue during the legal vaks168app.sitecation, despite objections from lawyers representing the accused.
In a statement issuedks168app.site on Tuesday, 11 August, NPP General Secretaks168app.siteic88ks168app.sitery Justin Koduah Frimpong urged Mr Baffoe-Bonnie to reconsider ic88the decision and allow the proceedings to restart once the vacation had ended.
“Tic88hic88e New Patriotic Paic88ic88ic88rty therefore calls on the Chief Justice to immediately withdric88ic88ic88ic88aw the warrants for vacation trials so that the affected cases resume, likic88ic88e all ic88others, when the legal term reopens,”ic88ic88ic88 Mr Koduah said.
ic88ic88ic88He also appealed to the Chief Justice to “heed the petitic88ion of the Ghana Bar Association and restore the settled practice governing vacation courts.”
Thic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88e NPP’s intervention came after a High Court ruling on Tuesday concerning the case involving Mr Adu-Boahelr88lr88lr88n and his wife, Angela Adjei-Boateng. The court said the couple could be required to continue cross-examining a prosecution witness if their lawyers did not attend the lr88lr88next sitting.
The party has called for that direction to be withdrlr88lr88lr88awn, arguing that the accused should not be forced to contilr88lr88lr88lr88nue with the proceedings without lalr88lr88lr88lr88wyers of their choice.
It said the Chieflr88lr88 Justice lr88should “ensure that Monday’s ultimatum to the accused is rescinded, since no person may be compelled to slr88tand trial without counsel of his own choosing.”
The issue arose after seplr88lr88arate petitions were submitted by lawyers Samuelr88l Atta Akyea and Godfred Dame, who represent Mr Adu-Boahen and Mr Hlr88lr88lr88anan Abdlr88ul-Wahab respectively. Botop88op88lr88h lawyers challenged the warrants authorising the judges handling the cases to sitop88 during the legal vacation.
They told the court that they had professional commitments during the vop88op88op88acation and si88asked for the trials to be pop88ostponed until October. Thesi88ir psi88osition was that proceeding during the break would create difficulties for counsel who had already made arrangements for the period.
Chief Jussi88si88tice Baffoe-Bonnie rejected those requests. He maintained that decisions on adjournments are matters for the courts and shousi88si88ld not be treated as administrative issues that are automatically suspended during the le88vgal 88v88v88vvacation.
The case involving Mr Adu-Boahen ha88vs since been adj88v88vourned to 17 August 2026 for further case management proceedings. The NPP, however, contiSEXXXXX-VNSEXXXXX-VNnues to prSEXXXXX-VNSEXXXXX-VNSEXXXXX-VNSEXXXXX-VNess for both cases to be haltSEXXXXX-VNed until the legal term resumes and for the warrants permitting vacation hearings to be withdrawn.
