Lawyers for the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab, have demanded the immediate return of his personal belongings, including cash, two mobile phones and his passport, following his release from the custody of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
In a letter addressed to the Attorney-General and EOCO, the legal team argued that the continued retention of their client’s property is unlawful and warned that they would pursue legal action if the items are not released.
The demand follows Abdul-Wahab’s rearrest after the Attorney-General withdrew earlier charges against him and other accused persons, citing the emergence of fresh evidence in the case.
The former NAFCO CEO was arrested on July 4 at Kotoka International Airport while preparing to travel to the United Kingdom for what his lawyers described as a scheduled medical appointment. He was subsequently detained by the Bureau of National Intelligence and EOCO before being released on the night of July 8 without any conditions.
According to the lawyers, Abdul-Wahab was carrying two mobile phones and three envelopes containing borrowed funds intended to finance his medical trip. They said the envelopes contained £5,000, £1,700 and GH¢12,750.
The legal team stated that although their client was instructed to report to EOCO on July 9 to retrieve his belongings, he was only given an empty purse, a wristwatch and his boarding pass. They alleged that investigators informed him they had not been authorised to release the seized cash or the two mobile phones.
In the letter, the lawyers described EOCO’s continued possession of the items as unlawful and demanded their immediate release together with all other personal effects still being held.
They also requested a full account of any information allegedly accessed from Abdul-Wahab’s mobile phones while he was in custody.
According to the lawyers, the cash seized was borrowed solely to cover travel and medical expenses and was unrelated to any accounts that had allegedly been frozen as part of ongoing investigations.
The legal team further alleged that EOCO unlawfully accessed data stored on Abdul-Wahab’s mobile phones on July 6 and July 7 without first obtaining judicial authorisation.
They argued that the alleged actions constituted a serious violation of their client’s constitutional right to privacy under Article 18(2) of the 1992 Constitution.
The lawyers also accused EOCO of unlawfully retaining Abdul-Wahab’s passport despite a High Court order issued on June 29, 2026, permitting him to travel abroad and directing that the passport be returned to the court registrar upon his return to Ghana.
They contended that the continued seizure of the passport without a court order violates Article 21(4) of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of movement.
The legal team, led by former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame, is demanding the immediate release of the seized cash, mobile phones, passport and all other personal belongings, together with a comprehensive account of any data allegedly accessed from the devices.
The lawyers warned that if their demands are not met, they would have no option but to seek legal redress.
Source: Wesleyannews.com
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