The Attorney-General’s attempt to revoke the medical travel permission granted to former National Food Buffer Stock Company Chief Executive Officer Hanan Abdul-Wahab has ended abruptly at the Accra High Court.
The court struck out the application after prosecutors withdrew it, following the judge’s observation that the travel order had already expired and was therefore no longer available to be cancelled.
Justice Francis Apanga Achibonga noted that the original permission required Abdul-Wahab to return to Ghana by July 12, 2026. With that deadline already passed, the court held that there was no existing travel order before it to revoke. The prosecution subsequently withdrew the application, leading to it being struck out.
The legal confrontation followed Abdul-Wahab’s arrest at the airport on July 4 while he was preparing to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment under a court-approved arrangement.
State prosecutors had alleged that the former NAFCO boss attempted to access funds from a frozen bank account shortly before his planned departure. They also raised concerns over whether he would return to Ghana to continue facing trial. Abdul-Wahab denied the allegations and maintained that he had made arrangements to return before his next court appearance.
His legal team, led by former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame, strongly criticised the State’s conduct. Dame argued that security agencies prevented his client from benefiting from the original travel permission by arresting and detaining him until the order expired.
The defence further maintained that Abdul-Wahab’s arrest, detention and the seizure of his passport effectively frustrated the court’s earlier directive. These remain allegations made by his lawyers and have been disputed by the State.
The striking out of the application brings the immediate battle over the expired travel order to an end. However, tensions between the prosecution and Abdul-Wahab’s legal team remain high, particularly over his airport arrest and the continued custody of some of his personal belongings.
For now, the Attorney-General’s attempt to overturn the medical travel permission has officially fallen apart—not through a full ruling on its merits, but because the order it sought to revoke had already run its course.
