An Accra High Court has struck out an application by the Attorney General’s Department seeking to revoke permission granted to former Chief Executive Officer of the National Buffer Stock Company, Hanan Abdul Wahab, to travel to London for medical treatment. The court ruled that the application has become ineffective because the travel order expired on July 12.
The application sought to overturn an earlier order issued on July 4 permitting Mr Abdul Wahab to travel abroad for medical care. However, the court held that there was no valid order left to revoke after the approved travel period had elapsed.
The ruling followed legal arguments over the status of the medical travel permission after the period authorised by the court had ended. As a result, the Attorney General’s application was struck out without further consideration of its merits.
Mr Abdul Wahab was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport after prosecutors alleged that he breached aspects of his bail conditions while attempting to leave the country. The arrest interrupted the execution of the court’s travel order and became central to subsequent legal proceedings.
The court’s decision means the application to revoke the expired travel permission will not proceed. Meanwhile, legal issues surrounding Mr Abdul Wahab’s bail conditions and travel arrangements remain before the appropriate authorities.
Travel Order Dispute Continues After Court Ruling
The Lead counsel for Hanan Abdul Wahab, former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, has criticised the State’s handling of the matter following the High Court’s decision. He argued that actions taken by the prosecution prevented his client from benefiting from the court’s travel order.
“I am quite surprised that the State will actually behave in this way, conduct itself in a way just to violate a citizen of Ghana in this manner.”
Godfred Yeboah Dame
Mr Dame stated that his client remained in detention for four days after being arrested at the airport despite having secured permission to travel for medical treatment. He argued that the arrest effectively prevented compliance with the court’s earlier order.
According to the former Attorney General, the State later filed an application seeking to revoke a travel order that expired. He contended that the application could not succeed because the order was no longer legally in force.
Furthermore, Mr Dame alleged that the sequence of events resulted in the travel permission lapsing before his client could benefit from it. He argued that the detention and seizure of his client’s passport made it impossible for the court’s directive to be carried out.
“They orchestrated the lapse of the order because they arrested him, put him in their cells and seized his passport, preventing him from travelling.”
Godfred Yeboah Dame
He further stated that the Attorney General’s application lacked legal basis once the order expired. Mr Dame added that the continued retention of his client’s passport and other personal belongings remains an outstanding matter between the defence and the State.
Passport Not Released Despite Court’s Directive
The Defence counsel Godfred Yeboah Dame also disclosed that the passport of Hanan remains in the possession of the Economic and Organised Crime Office despite earlier court directives requiring it to be returned to the court registry.
Mr Dame explained that the court has previously ordered the passport to be deposited at the registry as part of the conditions attached to his client’s bail and the subsequent permission granted for medical travel. He said the arrangement required the passport to be returned after the approved journey, but that process was disrupted after his client was arrested at the airport.
According to the former Attorney General, the arrest by EOCO prevented compliance with the court’s earlier directive because the agency retained custody of the passport. He stated that the defence team was not seeking another application for the release of the document, adding that any future travel request would be presented before the court when necessary.
The lawyer argued that the court’s latest position placed responsibility on the judiciary to ensure that its previous orders were followed. He said the issue was not about requesting a new travel arrangement but about ensuring that institutions respected existing judicial decisions.
“The court was concerned about the seizure of the passport by EOCO, but failed to order its return to the registry in compliance with its own earlier orders.”
Godfred Yeboah Dame
The development adds another layer to the legal dispute surrounding Mr Abdul Wahab’s medical travel request, which began after his arrest at the airport. While the court has struck out the application seeking to revoke the expired travel order, disagreements over the passport and related bail conditions remain unresolved.
Mr Dame indicated that the defence would allow the matter to proceed without filing another application at this stage. He added that any future need for international travel would be addressed through the appropriate legal process before the court.
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