ELS: MBN360 NEWS
Lawyers for former National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) Chief Executive Officer Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba have rejected claims by Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem-Sai that their client attempted to withdraw money from a frozen bank account, describing the allegation as false.
In a statement issued on Sunday (5 July), lead counsel and former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame said the allegation was “simply untrue” and challenged the Deputy Attorney-General to produce evidence that Aludiba had withdrawn money from any of his bank accounts after being granted permission by the High Court to travel to the United Kingdom.
“The allegation by the Deputy Attorney-General that our client attempted ‘to use false means to empty his frozen bank account with Republic Bank’ is simply untrue,” the statement said.
“We challenge him to produce evidence of a withdrawal of any sum by our client from any of his bank accounts since the date of the court order.”
Dame further argued that there was no valid court order freezing Aludiba’s bank accounts at the time of his arrest.
According to the defence, the accounts were frozen during an earlier criminal investigation, but those freezing orders lapsed after prosecutors withdrew the original charges on 5 May, resulting in Aludiba’s discharge.
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Although fresh charges were subsequently filed, the lawyers said the High Court ruled on 20 May that the new prosecution constituted “a fresh process,” implying that the previous freezing orders were no longer in force.
The defence said it had formally communicated that legal position to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) before Aludiba’s arrest.
Aludiba was arrested at Accra’s international airport on Friday after receiving permission from the High Court to travel abroad for a medical appointment.
Earlier, Deputy Attorney-General Srem-Sai said in a Facebook post that the arrest followed an alleged attempt by Aludiba to use “false means” to empty a frozen Republic Bank account. He also said the Attorney-General would seek a review of the High Court order permitting the former NAFCO chief to travel.
Dame accused the Attorney-General’s Office of misleading the public and violating a lawful court order, announcing that the defence would initiate contempt proceedings against the Attorney-General, the Deputy Attorney-General and the Director of the Bureau of National Investigations over the arrest.
The Attorney-General’s Office had not publicly responded to the latest allegations at the time of publication.
Aludiba is standing trial on charges including stealing and causing financial loss to the Republic.
