Lawyers for Hanan Abdul-Wahab have announced plans to initiate contempt proceedings against the Attorney-General, Deputy Attorney-General, and the Director of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), alleging they deliberately violated a High Court order by causing their client’s arrest at the Accra International Airport despite judicial approval for his travel.
The legal team also insists there was no valid court order freezing Abdul-Wahab’s bank accounts at the time of the incident.
In a statement issued on Sunday, June 4, counsel for Abdul-Wahab, Godfred Yeboah Dame, described as “false” claims made by Deputy Attorney-General, Dr. Srem Sai, in a Facebook post on July 4, 2026, which sought to justify the arrest.
According to the lawyers, the High Court in Accra, presided over by Justice Achibonga, a Court of Appeal judge sitting as an additional High Court judge, on June 29 permitted Abdul-Wahab to travel to the United Kingdom from July 4 to July 12 for a medical appointment with his optician.
The statement said the court granted the application after hearing submissions from both the defence and the prosecution, including Dr. Srem Sai, adding that the order was in line with established judicial precedent allowing accused persons standing trial to travel for medical and other legitimate reasons.
Dame argued that several high-profile accused persons, including Dr. Stephen Opuni, Seidu Agongo, Alhaji Collins Dauda, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, and Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, had previously been granted similar travel permissions while facing criminal proceedings.
The lawyers further rejected allegations that Abdul-Wahab attempted to withdraw funds from a frozen Republic Bank account before leaving the country.
“We challenge him to produce evidence of a withdrawal of any sum by our client from any of his bank accounts since the date of the court order,” the statement said.
Dame maintained that there was no valid freezing order in force.
According to the statement, any previous freezing orders lapsed after the prosecution withdrew earlier charges against Abdul-Wahab on May 5, 2026, leading to his discharge.
The statement further referenced a ruling by the High Court at Adentan on May 20, 2026, in relation to fresh charges filed on May 15, in which the court is said to have held that Abdul-Wahab’s re-arrest initiated “a fresh process,” implying there was no subsisting freezing order.
Dame said the legal position had already been communicated to the Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in a formal letter delivered about two weeks ago.
The legal team accused the Attorney-General’s Office of misleading the public and unlawfully deploying the BNI to arrest Abdul-Wahab on allegations they insist are unsupported by evidence.
Describing the airport arrest as a “blatant and wilful violation” of a High Court order, Dame said contempt proceedings would be filed against the Attorney-General, his deputy, and the Director of the BNI.
