Attorney-General’s office refutes allegations of denial of counsel in Hanan Abdul-Wahab case

Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem Sai has dismissed allegations by former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame that former National Food Buffer Stock Company CEO Abdul-Wahab Hanan was denied access to legal counsel following his re-arrest by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

Speaking to journalists at the High Court premises in Accra on Thursday, May 7, Justice Srem Sai described the allegations as baseless, misleading, and damaging to public understanding of legal procedures and due process.

According to the Deputy Attorney-General, Mr Dame chose to engage the media instead of following the appropriate legal and institutional channels available for addressing concerns relating to the detention and re-arrest of his clients.

Justice Srem Sai argued that if there were genuine concerns about access to counsel or procedural violations, the former Attorney-General should have directly engaged officials of EOCO rather than making public accusations through media platforms.

He warned that such public commentary risks undermining confidence in legal institutions and distorting public perception of how the justice system operates.

The controversy follows the re-arrest of Abdul-Wahab Hanan and his wife, Faiza Sayyid Wuni, shortly after the Office of the Attorney General withdrew all charges previously filed against them and other accused persons in the case.

According to the Attorney General’s office, the charges were dropped after the emergence of fresh evidence that required further investigations.

However, lawyers representing the couple, led by Godfred Yeboah Dame, have alleged that EOCO officials denied them access to their clients more than 24 hours after the re-arrests took place.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews, Mr Dame claimed that lawyers attempting to meet Abdul-Wahab Hanan and his wife at EOCO offices were prevented from doing so.

“They have been denied access to counsel. Junior colleagues of mine who are at EOCO say that as of about 11 o’clock, they have not been given access to them. They have not been allowed to see their clients,” he stated.

The matter has since sparked public debate over detainee rights, access to legal representation, and the conduct of investigative agencies during ongoing criminal investigations.

Neither EOCO nor the Office of the Attorney General has publicly provided detailed information regarding the reasons behind the couple’s continued detention following the withdrawal of charges.

The case is expected to generate further legal and political attention as investigations continue and both sides maintain conflicting accounts over whether due process has been followed.