The Court of Appeal has rejected an application to halt proceedings in the criminal trial of Nana Appiah Mensah, former Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Menzgold Ghana Limited, and two others.
Appiah Mensah, also known as NAM 1, filed the application after the Accra High Court established a prima facie case against him.
He sought a stay of proceedings pending the determination of another appeal challenging the High Court’s order to open his defence.
In 2024, the High Court directed NAM 1 to present his defence in the ongoing criminal trial. His lawyers then filed an appeal seeking to overturn the ruling.
A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Gbiel S. Suurbaareh, dismissed the application, ruling that no exceptional circumstances warranted discretion in the applicant’s favour.
Other panel members were Justices Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe and Christopher Archer.
On Monday, May 19, 2025, the State argued before the panel that no exceptional circumstances had been raised.
Senior State Attorney Watkins Adamah stated that the High Court’s pronouncement on July 11, 2024, was based on the prosecution’s case.
He stated that the Court’s determination of a prima facie case against the applicant was not unusual.
Adamah rejected claims that the complainants were unknown members of the public.
He stated that even if six out of the 39 charges were dismissed—without conceding that they should be—it would not conclude the case.
“This will not occasion any miscarriage of justice,” he added.
He described the application as an attempt to exceed the Court’s powers, arguing that no exceptional circumstances had been raised, and urged the case’s dismissal.
NAM 1, Brew Marketing Consult, and Menzgold face 39 charges, including selling gold without a licence, operating a deposit-taking business, inducement to invest, defrauding by pretences, fraudulent breach of trust, and money laundering, involving over GH¢340 million.
Source: GNA
The post NAM1 loses stay application at Court of Appeal appeared first on Ghana Business News.
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