Ex-Buffer Stock CEO never attempted to withdraw funds from 'frozen' account — Dame slams AG
Lawyers for former Chief Executive Officer of the National Buffer Stock Company, Hanan Abdul-Wahab, have denied claims by the Attorney-General that their client attempted to withdraw money from a frozen bank account before his arrest at the Accra International Airport.
Mr. Abdul-Wahab was arrested at the Accra International Airport on Saturday, July 4, on over what the Attorney General said was over his attempt to withdraw money in his frozen bank accounts amid ongoing investigations into allegations of financial irregularities.
The response follows a press statement issued by the Office of the Attorney-General on July 7, which sought to justify Abdul-Wahab's arrest after he had been granted permission by the High Court to travel to the United Kingdom.
It comes ahead of a habeas corpus application filed by the lawyers, which is expected to be heard by the High Court on July 10, while the substantive criminal trial is scheduled to commence on July 15.
In a statement dated July 8 and signed by lead counsel Godfred Yeboah Dame, the legal team described the Attorney-General's account as misleading and accused the state of attempting to justify what it called the unlawful arrest and continued detention of its client.
"Our client has not made any false or unlawful attempt to empty any frozen bank account. He considers a repetition of this allegation as part of the tendency of the Attorney-General to defame him," the lawyers said in part of the statement.
The legal team further noted that Abdul-Wahab had not been presented with any evidence by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) or the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to support the allegation that he attempted to access funds in a frozen account.
They also stressed that their client arrived at the airport without having withdrawn any money or presented any cheque or withdrawal document to any bank.
"Our client arrived at the Accra International Airport when he had neither withdrawn any money nor presented any cheque or document seeking to withdraw any money from the bank. We repeat our demand for the Attorney-General to produce evidence of a cheque, withdrawal note or any means by which our client attempted to withdraw money from his bank account," the statement noted.
The lawyers further argued that there was no valid court order freezing Abdul-Wahab's bank accounts, contending that previous freezing orders lapsed after the Attorney General's withdrawal of the earlier criminal charges against him.
They also criticised the GH¢5 million bail conditions imposed by EOCO, describing them as excessive and a deliberate attempt to keep their client in custody despite the fact that he had already been granted bail by the court and had been reporting to investigators as directed.