EOCO returns seized £6,700, ¢2,750 cash, phones and laptops to Hanan Abdul Wahab
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has returned £6,700, ¢2,750, two laptops and six mobile phones seized from former Ghana Buffer Stock Company CEO Hanan Abdul Wahab Hanan, his wife, Hajia Faiza Wuni, and their driver.
The items were returned on Monday, October 5, 2026, following a court directive that EOCO could not begin presenting its case in the ongoing financial crimes trial until an application for the release of the seized property had been determined.
At a September 29 hearing, the prosecution indicated that it was ready to call its first witness.
However, Mr Hanan’s lawyer, former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame, argued that the defence needed access to the seized phones and other items to prepare adequately for trial.
Counsel for the second accused, Faizal Wuni, also requested the release of her electronic devices, saying they were relevant to her defence.
Justice Francis Achibonga subsequently directed that the prosecution could not call its first witness until the application concerning the seized property had been resolved.
The dispute over the items dates back to July 4, when Mr Hanan was arrested at the airport and detained for four days while preparing to travel abroad for medical treatment under a court order.
His lawyers later petitioned EOCO and the Attorney-General for the return of the property.
They alleged that some of the items, including two mobile phones, had been retained without legal justification. The lawyers also accused EOCO of accessing data on the phones without judicial authorisation.
Mr Dame said the £6,700 and GH¢2,750 seized from his client had been borrowed to cover travel and medical expenses.
The return of the property is the latest development in the case, which has also seen the prosecution withdraw its initial charges in May 2026 and later re-arraign Mr Hanan on new charges.
The prosecution is expected to proceed with its case following the resolution of the dispute over the seized property.