Supreme Court challenge pauses Adu-Boahene criminal trial
Proceedings in the criminal case involving former National Signals Bureau Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene and his wife have been temporarily halted after the Accra High Court decided to await the outcome of a pending Supreme Court application.
The decision means the trial will not continue until at least August 25, following a Supreme Court hearing scheduled for August 20 on whether the case can proceed during the judiciary’s legal vacation.
Monday’s hearing was expected to focus on the continuation of the trial, but attention quickly shifted to a legal battle over the court’s authority to hear the matter during the vacation period.
Lawyers for the accused urged the court to pause proceedings, pointing to an application before the Supreme Court seeking an order to stop the trial from continuing until the broader constitutional issues surrounding vacation sittings are resolved.
State prosecutors resisted the request, arguing that a pending application does not automatically suspend proceedings and that the High Court remained fully empowered to continue hearing the case unless a superior court expressly ordered otherwise.
The court agreed that no formal stay had yet been granted. However, Justice Francis Apangabuno Achibonga indicated that prudence required caution where the Supreme Court had already been asked to determine whether the proceedings should continue.
Rather than risk moving ahead only for the apex court to intervene days later, the judge opted to suspend further hearings and await the Supreme Court’s decision.
The ruling represents a partial victory for the defence, which had also sought a longer adjournment linked to the unavailability of lead counsel Samuel Atta Akyea. The judge rejected arguments that the absence of one lawyer should prevent the case from proceeding, noting that other members of the legal team could represent the accused.
Despite that finding, the pending Supreme Court application ultimately became the decisive factor in the adjournment.
The criminal case remains one of the most closely watched prosecutions in the country. Adu-Boahene and his wife have denied all allegations brought against them.
Prosecutors accuse the former intelligence chief of involvement in the alleged diversion of more than GH¢49 million earmarked for a cyber-security project. He faces several charges, including defrauding by false pretences, causing financial loss to the state and allegedly using public office for personal benefit.
His wife is also standing trial on charges that include conspiracy and money laundering-related offences. She has similarly denied any wrongdoing.
For now, the focus shifts from the High Court to the Supreme Court, whose ruling later this week could determine not only the immediate future of the Adu-Boahene trial but also the broader debate over criminal proceedings conducted during the legal vacation.
Source: myjoyonline.com
About The Author
