Lawyers for the former National Signals Bureau Director, Kwabena Adu Boahene, stormed out of the Accra High Court following the refusal of the trial judge to grant an adjournment of their case.
On Thursday, October 23, lead counsel Samuel Atta Akyea notified the court of filing an application to prohibit Justice Eugene Nyadu Nyantei from further hearing the case, citing bias at the Supreme Court.
He prayed for an adjournment of the case pending the determination of the matter at the apex court.
But prosecution led by Principal State Attorney Esi Dentaa Yankah urged the court to dismiss the application.
“There’s no rule of law that says that proceedings must be halted in order for counsel of the accused to be excused to pursue an interlocutory injunction.
“It seems that the trend is developing that at every given step of this case, one motion or another is filed and a request for stay is made.
“And you have made it abundantly clear and in accordance with the established case law that the pendency of an interlocutory matter doesn’t justify the stay of proceedings.
“In counsel’s instance oral application for stay, he hasn’t made any effort to convince the court with any special reason today’s proceedings should not continue.
“I pray that his request though made be disregarded so that the case be discontinued,” she argued.
After listening to both counsel, Justice Nyadu Nyantei held that the mere fact that an application for prohibition at the Supreme Court doesn’t warrant for proceedings to be put on hold and refused the application.
Samuel Atta Akyea, unhappy with the Court’s decision led the defence lawyers to walk out of the courtroom.
The judge then ordered the prosecution’s second witness, the Director of Finance at the National Signals Bureau to mount the witness box to continue submitting her evidence in chief.
He further ordered Kwabena Adu Boahene to call his lawyers back to the court or represent himself after which the court went on a brief recess.
After failing to get hold of his lawyer, the former National Signals Bureau Director pleaded with the court for an adjournment.
The trial judge then adjourned the case to October 30 for continuation.
Background
Kwabena Adu-Boahene, his wife Angela Adjei Boateng and two others were charged with multiple offences including stealing, money laundering (alleged GH¢49.1 million), willfully causing financial loss to the state, and abuse of public office.
The third accused in the matter Mildred Donkor has since become a prosecution witness after the Attorney-General dropped charges against her.
