High Court orders NAM1 to file witness statement by February 9
The Accra High Court has directed Nana Appiah Mensah, popularly known as NAM1, to submit his witness statement by February 9, 2026, after striking out a motion seeking a stay of proceedings in his ongoing criminal trial over alleged illegal gold trading activities involving Menzgold Ghana Limited.
The decision was delivered by Justice Ernest Owusu-Dapaa after the withdrawal of the application, which had been filed on January 13, 2026. The case against NAM1 forms part of a broader criminal trial involving multiple accused persons and corporate entities linked to the operations of Menzgold Ghana Limited.
At the court session on Monday, February 2, 2026, counsel for the accused, Paa Joy Akuamoah Boateng, explained that the motion for a stay of proceedings had become moot following the withdrawal of a related judicial review application before the Supreme Court. He stated that the discontinuation of the substantive process rendered the pending High Court application ineffective and therefore requested that it be struck out.
The prosecution, led by Senior State Attorney Watkins Adama, raised no objection to the withdrawal, describing it as a procedural matter that did not prejudice the Republic’s case. Although the court noted that an appeal against a summary of proceedings was still pending, it ruled that this did not prevent the trial from continuing.
In its ruling, the court ordered that the trial should proceed and instructed NAM1, the first accused person, to continue his evidence-in-chief. Justice Owusu-Dapaa further directed the accused to file any intended documentary evidence at least three clear days before the next hearing, with similar instructions given to the other accused persons.
In his testimony, NAM1 told the court that Menzgold Ghana Limited was duly incorporated under Ghanaian law to engage in gold mining, trading, value addition, and export. He acknowledged that these activities required regulatory approvals and maintained that the company possessed the necessary licences at the time of operation. He explained that the licensing process involved the submission of documents, payment of statutory fees, and regulatory assessment, adding that the regulatory framework later changed when the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) transitioned from a licensing role to national assay functions.
NAM1 further stated that although the company held incorporation and licensing documents, he had been unable to access some of them after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shut down Menzgold and law enforcement agencies secured its offices. He said this hindered his ability to retrieve documents essential to his defence, a situation he claimed could be confirmed by the relevant state institutions.
The court subsequently ordered NAM1 to file his witness statement by February 9, 2026.
The case stems from the collapse of Menzgold Ghana Limited and related businesses, which led to the prosecution of NAM1, other individuals, and two companies associated with the firm. According to the prosecution, the accused face several charges, including selling gold without a licence, operating an unauthorised deposit-taking business, inducement to invest, defrauding by false pretence, fraudulent breach of trust, and money laundering.
The charges are based on allegations that between 2016 and 2018, members of the public were induced to invest in gold-related transactions and schemes through Menzgold. The SEC later ordered the suspension of the company’s gold trading operations for operating without the required licence, leading to its closure and subsequent investigations. NAM1 and the other accused persons have pleaded not guilty and are currently standing trial before the High Court.
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