The Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) has returned £6,700, GH¢2,750, two laptop computers and six mobile phones seized from Hanan Abdul, the former CEO of the Ghana Buffer Stock Company as well as his wife, Hajia Faiza Wuni, and the driver of the couple, who together are standing trial for financial crimes allegedly committed against the state.
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Some of the items were seized in the course of investigations in 2025 whilst the money, one laptop and two mobile phones were seized on July 4, 2026, when Hanan was arrested at the airport, detained for four days and prevented from travelling abroad pursuant to a court order granted for medical purposes.
At the last hearing of the case on September 29, 2026, when the prosecution indicated its readiness to call its first witness, lead counsel for Hanan, Godfred Dame, submitted that the trial could not commence if the items seized were not returned to the accused persons, especially since the mobile phones contained critical pieces of evidence the defence would use in their defence against the case of the prosecution. For that reason, he said the first accused person had filed a motion to compel EOCO to release the items.
"The phones contain information necessary for the conduct of the trial and related to matters that are central to the subject matter of the proceedings. We need them to enable the first accused prepare adequately for his defence, including raising objections to documents to be tendered by the prosecution, in accordance with Article 19(2)(e) and (g) of the 1992 Constitution". Mr Dame said.
Augustine Obour, Counsel for the second accused Faizal Wuni, also informed the court that his client had requested the release of her electronic gadgets, which he said, would form the basis of her defence.
The prosecution argued that the trial could proceed for the motion to determine whether the accused persons were entitled to the release of the seized items to be determined later.
The court presided over by Justice Francis Achibonga, agreed that the prosecution could not commence its case and call its first witness without first determining the application seeking the release of the phones and other properties of the first accused.
The court said that since counsel for the first accused might need the phones alleged to have been seized by the State to enable him to prepare adequately for the trial in accordance with Article 29(2)(d) and (g) of the Constitution, it was impossible to proceed with the trial when that issue had not been determined.
EOCO, taking a cue from proceedings in court, on Monday, October 5, 2026, released the items to the accused persons.
