The Accra High Court has declined a letter by lawyers of the 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th accused persons in the GHC291m National Petroleum Authority theft case involving former CEO Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid and 7 others.
The lawyers were seeking an adjournment of the trial pending the determination of the petition to the Chief Justice to stop trials during the legal vacation.
According to the OSP, the accused persons are alleged to have extorted hundreds of millions of cedis and foreign currency from bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies fraudulently and subsequently laundered the proceeds through property acquisitions and business entities.
The accused persons are former NPA CEO Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Jacob Kwamina Amuah, a former UPPF Coordinator and MD of Propnest Ltd, Kel Logistics Ltd and Kings Energy Ltd, Wendy Newman, an NPA Staff member, Bright Bediako-Mensah, the CEO of Kel Logistics, Propnest Ltd and Kings Energy Ltd and Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah.
The rest are Propnest Ltd, Kel Logistics Ltd and Kings Energy Ltd, the three companies as entities represented by the accused persons.
When the case was called, the presiding judge, Justice Francis Apangabuno Achibonga, indicated that lawyers of four of the accused persons had submitted a letter requesting an adjournment.
He explained that the defence counsel had cited travel plans outside the jurisdiction to attend to pressing personal commitments during the vacation, while other lawyers said they too had prior commitments.
As a result, they were pleading to have the case adjourned to October.
But the presiding judge indicated that the court would continue to sit and conduct hearings as directed until the warrant was revoked by the Chief Justice.
He further averred that the law firms of the accused persons ought to have other lawyers present at all times if they were going to travel out of the jurisdiction.
Justice Achibonga then refused the prayer for adjournment and ordered that if by August 17, the accused persons are unrepresented by their lawyers, the court would proceed with the case.
Lead Counsel for Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the former NPA CEO, drew the court’s attention to a petition to the Chief Justice over their inability to attend proceedings during the legal vacation. He indicated that they were awaiting the response of the Chief Justice and would not have attended Tuesday’s hearing but for the enormous respect for the court.
The case has since been adjourned to August 18 for continuation of the case management conference.
By Laud Adu-Asare
