The trial involving former National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Chief Executive Officer Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid and seven other accused persons has been postponed to August 27, 2026, as the High Court awaits a decision from the Supreme Court on a legal challenge to proceedings during the court’s vacation.
The adjournment follows an injunction application challenging the directive that allows selected criminal cases to continue during the legal vacation.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear the application on Thursday, August 20, and its decision could determine whether the trial resumes before the end of the vacation or is deferred until the new legal year begins in October.
The Accra High Court had earlier declined an application by lawyers for four of the accused persons seeking to suspend proceedings and have the case resumed in October.
Instead, the High Court ordered the trial to continue during the vacation, relying on a warrant issued by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie authorising selected high-profile criminal cases to be heard during the period.
OSP Charges
The prosecution, led by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), alleges that Dr Abdul-Hamid and the other accused persons unlawfully collected money from bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies operating within Ghana’s petroleum sector.
The accused persons have denied the allegations and are contesting the charges.
The latest adjournment means the High Court will await the Supreme Court’s ruling on the injunction before determining the next step in the proceedings.
If the Supreme Court upholds the challenge, the trial could be deferred until the start of the new legal year in October. If the application fails, proceedings could continue under the existing legal vacation arrangement.
For now, the case has been fixed for August 27, 2026.
