Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has predicted that the criminal case against the former Chief Executive of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab, and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, is set to expand significantly following a dramatic day of legal manoeuvring.
Speaking on JoyNews on Tuesday, May 5, after Abdul-Wahab and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, were re-arrested by operatives of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Mr Kpebu suggested that the Attorney-General’s decision to discontinue the initial trial was a strategic move necessitated by the discovery of high-value evidence.
The couple had been standing trial over their alleged involvement in a GH¢78 million loss to the state linked to the national school feeding programme.
However, on Tuesday, Deputy Attorney-General Dr Justice Srem-Sai informed the High Court that the state was withdrawing all charges due to the emergence of “fresh evidence”.
Reacting to the development, Mr Kpebu noted that while the re-arrest is a sombre reminder of the scale of alleged corruption, it signals a more robust effort to recover stolen assets.
“So that is what I meant by the case is going to be bigger. It means that fresh evidence means more loot, unfortunately. So I’m not celebrating it. It’s sad. But the good news is that at least it means that they’ve uncovered it. And so it’s likely that at the end of the trial, we should be able to get back the property,” Mr Kpebu stated.
Mr Kpebu emphasised that the Attorney-General, Dr Domininic Ayine, and his deputy are keenly aware of the intense public scrutiny surrounding the case. He argued that the prosecution would not have taken the “risky” step of cancelling the existing trial unless the new evidence was substantial enough to warrant a fresh start.
“No, the Attorney General knows… they both know that Ghanaians are expectant and some have even lost patience. For them to stop this trial and say they are going to start a fresh one, it tells you that it must be worth it. It must be worth it,” he added.
The legal practitioner expressed confidence that the upcoming trial would be bigger in nature, suggesting that the authorities have likely stumbled upon a much larger web of financial irregularities than previously known.
“No, these two guys, I don’t think they want to take chances that what they’ve uncovered is so small and yet they are starting the trial fresh. No, it must be big. It must be premium. It must be worth the cancellation of the case and the filing afresh,” Kpebu remarked.
The re-arrest has sparked intense debate over the procedural implications of the Attorney-General’s actions. Earlier in the day, Justice Achibonga had discharged the accused persons after the state filed a nolle prosequi.
The subsequent swoop by EOCO as the couple left the court premises indicates that the state intends to re-arraign them on new, possibly more severe charges.
As the legal community and the general public await the filing of the fresh docket, Mr Kpebu urged Ghanaians to remain patient.
“So let’s give them a few days. They definitely will see it,” he concluded.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com