Nana Appiah Mensah aka NAM 1
A High Court in Accra has rescheduled the virtual testimony of founder and Chief Executive Officer of Menzgold Ghana Limited, Nana Appiah Mensah, popularly known as NAM1, due partly to the unavailability of the video conferencing room.
NAM1, who is standing trial for allegedly defrauding his customers, was scheduled to join the proceedings via a video link yesterday after the court had granted him permission to testify from home due to ill health.
The court was informed yesterday that NAM1 had undergone a surgery but was ready to join the proceeding virtually.
However, it turned out the video conference room often used for virtual hearing had been booked by other courts ahead of yesterday’s hearing.
The court, presided over by Justice Sedinam Awo Kwadam, therefore, adjourned the case to April 16, 2026, which is the nearest date on which the conference facility is available.
Trial
NAM1 and two of his companies – Menzgold Ghana Limited and Brew Marketing Consult Ghana Limited are facing 39 counts of defrauding by false pretence, inducing members of the public to invest, money laundering, among others, for a total of GH¢340,835,650.
He has indicated his intention to subpoena the Ghana Police Service and other institutions as part of his defence in his ongoing trial for defrauding the company’s customers.
NAM1 has also opted to testify orally rather than file witness statements for either himself or his witnesses, which would be adopted by the court as evidence-in-chief.
Among the institutions he intends to subpoena as he takes steps to prove his innocence in the ongoing trial are Ghana Police Service, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Minerals Commission, Bank of Ghana, Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and Zenith Bank.
NAM1 has so far told the trial court that Menzgold was licensed by the necessary institution to operate in the gold industry.
He has also explained the processes leading to Menzgold being licensed by the Minerals Commission.
According to him, two main reasons led to a shift of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) as the then licensing authority to the Minerals Commission.
He said one of the reasons was the fact that Menzgold, an organisation that had commenced relatively small, became very successful and big with few other branches in Ghana largely due to effective management, vision, resourcefulness and more importantly, regulatory compliance.
NAM1 said the second reason was a result of Gold Exporters Association of Ghana suing PMMC after it introduced a regulation that sought to infringe on their commercial and economic right.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak