A High Court in Accra has granted a bail of GH¢30 million to Frederick Kumi, popularly known as Abu Trica, who is awaiting extradition to the United States over an alleged conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering targeting the elderly, estimated at $8 million.
As part of the bail conditions, the court has ordered him to present two sureties who must be justified with landed property.
The decision came as a much needed relief for Kumi, who has been in custody since his arrest in December 2025, through a combined effort of local law enforcement agents and their US counterparts.
His previous attempts to secure bail while the extradition proceeding was pending failed, as multiple High Courts refused all his applications filed by different lawyers.
The Gbese District Court in Accra, on March 27, cleared the path for Abu Trica’s extradition to the United States to face trial for allegedly defrauding elderly men and women.
This followed the court’s decision to reject “political motives” claims by his lawyers who had argued that the offence of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering are not extraditable offences under the 1931 treaty between Ghana and the United States.
“Money laundering and conspiracy, though not specifically mentioned in the 1931 treaty, and in the case of Conspiracy and Money Laundering, same has been catered for in the above-named UN Convention. The preliminary legal objection is therefore, overruled, the court, presided over by Her Honour Anna Akosua Appiah Gottfried Anaafi Gyasi had ruled.
The court subsequently gave him up to 15 days within which to challenge the decision to allow the extradition to go though.
The court granted the request amidst pending legal battles initiated by Abu Trica’s lawyers at the High Court challenging the extradition and some alleged abuse of his human rights by some state security agencies and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
Abu Trica alleges that his prolonged detention by officers of Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Attorney General (AG) from the morning until late evening during his arrest on December 11, 2025, whilst continuously restrained in handcuffs, deprived of food, water, rest, and basic human necessities, and subjected to physical and psychological distress, constitutes torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment contrary to Article 15 of the 1992 Constitution, and is therefore unlawful and unconstitutional.
Discharged, Rearrested
On January 26, 2026, a High Court in Accra discharged Abu Trica after the Attorney General and Minister for Justice filed a notice of withdrawal of prosecution against him.
Although he was initially discharged by the District Court, Abu Trica appeared before the High Court in handcuff, where his lawyers had filed an application for certiorari to strike out the proceedings before the lower court.
He was rearrested by officers of NACOC on the corridors of the court immediately he stepped out of the courtroom, resulting in a brief verbal altercation between the officers and his legal team.
Allegations
Abu Trica has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and faces up to 20 years in prison, according to the US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Ohio.
According to recently unsealed indictment, Kumi is accused of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) software to assume false identities and form close personal relationships with victims, through social media and online dating platforms, and gain their trust before extorting them of their money and valuables.
By Gibril Abdul Razak