The law firm of Dame & Partners has accused the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, as well as the Deputy Attorney-General, Dr. Srem Sai, of orchestrating the unlawful arrest of their client, Hanan Abdul-Wahab, at the Kotoka International Airport despite a valid High Court order permitting him to travel.
In a press release dated July 5, 2026, the firm rejected a Facebook post by Dr. Srem Sai defending the arrest, describing it as “laden with falsehood” and an attempt to justify what it called a blatant violation of a court order.
According to the lawyers, the High Court in Accra, presided over by Justice Achibonga, sitting as an additional High Court judge, granted Abdul-Wahab permission on June 29, 2026, to travel to the United Kingdom between July 4 and July 12 for a medical appointment with his optician after hearing arguments from both the defence and the prosecution.
The firm argued that the order was consistent with established judicial precedent, noting that several public officials facing criminal trials, including former COCOBOD Chief Executive Dr. Stephen Opuni, businessman Seidu Agongo, former Works and Housing Minister Collins Dauda, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, and former Finance Minister Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, had previously been granted permission by the courts to travel while standing trial.
Dame & Partners also dismissed allegations by Dr. Srem Sai that Abdul-Wahab attempted to withdraw funds from a frozen Republic Bank account, insisting no such transaction had occurred and challenging the Deputy Attorney-General to produce evidence to support the claim.
The lawyers further maintained that there is currently no valid court order freezing their client’s bank accounts. They explained that the previous freezing orders lapsed after charges against Abdul-Wahab were withdrawn on May 5, 2026, leading to his discharge. Although fresh charges were filed on May 15, they said the High Court at Adentan subsequently ruled on May 20 that the re-arrest initiated a fresh legal process, implying that no freezing order remained in force.
The firm accused the Attorney-General’s Office of misleading law enforcement agencies into arresting Abdul-Wahab based on what it described as a false allegation, alleging that the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) acted in violation of a lawful court order.
Describing the incident as evidence of persistent disregard for judicial authority, Dame & Partners announced plans to initiate contempt proceedings against the Attorney-General, the Deputy Attorney-General and the Director of the BNI for what it called a deliberate breach of the High Court’s order.
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