AG withdraws charges against former buffer stock CEO Hanan and wife as EOCO re-arrests him

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has re-arrested the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab, and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, shortly after the Attorney-General discontinued all charges against them in an ongoing criminal case.

The re-arrest took place on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, moments after the prosecution formally withdrew the case at the High Court, effectively bringing the trial to an abrupt end.

The development has triggered strong objections from the defence team, who have questioned both the withdrawal of charges and the subsequent re-arrest.

Counsel for the second accused, Augustine Obuor, described the Attorney-General’s decision as an improper use of prosecutorial discretion, arguing that the case had already progressed significantly in court.

He warned that any attempt to refile or continue the prosecution in a different court would amount to an abuse of process.

According to him, if the state intended to pursue alternative charges, it should have amended the existing ones rather than withdrawing the entire case, stressing that prosecutorial powers must be exercised fairly and in line with the rights of accused persons.

Counsel for the first accused, Godfred Yeboah Dame, also questioned the handling of the matter, although he indicated that the defence would not oppose the withdrawal, which he described as a form of relief. However, he expressed concern over the immediate re-arrest of the accused persons.

He criticised what he described as weaknesses in prosecutorial decision making, arguing that cases should be built on thorough investigations before being brought before the courts.

“We have seen in this country the manifestation of gross abuse of prosecutorial discretion… Without any evidence at all, he undertakes the prosecution and then discontinues,” he stated.

Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem Sai has not yet publicly explained the reasons for the withdrawal of the charges.

Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, Faiza Seidu Wuni, Richard Sam-Asante, The Aludiba Foundation, and Energy Partners Limited were previously facing 21 criminal charges, including stealing, money laundering, conspiracy, defrauding by false pretences, and intentional dissipation of public funds under the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044).

Prosecutors alleged that Abdul-Wahab, during his tenure as CEO of NAFCO between February 2017 and February 2025, diverted more than GH¢50.8 million through payments to Sawtina Enterprise, a purported supplier.

He was also accused of transferring GH¢5.49 million to Aludiba Enterprise, a company he allegedly owned, under the pretext of supplying food items to the state agency.

Faiza Seidu Wuni was accused of laundering over GH¢13.2 million through Fa-Hausa Ventures and allegedly causing a financial loss of GH¢4.4 million through dealings with NAFCO under Alqarni Enterprise.

The Aludiba Foundation and Energy Partners Limited were also named in the charge sheet for their alleged involvement in receiving or laundering proceeds from the suspected transactions.

The Attorney-General’s Office maintains that the alleged offences resulted in significant financial losses to the state.