Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba
Lawyer for former Chief Executive Officer of National Food Buffer Stock Company Limited (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, has petitioned the Attorney General (AG) and the Executive Director of Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), to release some £6,700 and GH¢2,750 confiscated from him during his arrest at the Accra International Airport.
He was arrested at the airport in the late hours of July 4 when he attempted to travel to the United Kingdom for a medical reason.
Mr. Aludiba was released unconditionally from the custody of EOCO on the night of July 8, where he had spent four days and five nights following his arrest.
His release followed persistent pressure mounted by his lawyer, Godfred Yeboah Dame, who criticised the arrest and described it as a deliberate attempt to thwart the permission granted to his client by a High Court, to travel to London for medical appointment.
Confiscated Items
Mr. Dame, in a letter addressed to the Attorney General and the Executive Director of EOCO, pointed out that Mr. Aludiba at the time of his arrest had in his possession personal effects, two mobile phones and a total of £6,700 and GH¢2,750 which he had borrowed for his travel expenses and medical treatment in the United Kingdom.
The letter noted that Mr. Aludiba’s personal items were not returned to him upon his release on July 8, although he was directed to appear before EOCO on July 9, 2026, for the collection of his belongings.
“To his utter dismay, when our client reported at EOCO, he was only given an empty purse, a watch and boarding pass. When he inquired about the remainder of his items, the investigating officer, Frank Cromwell, responded that he had no authorisation to release the money and the two mobile phones seized from him at the airport,” the letter further pointed out.
“We note, with serious concern, that EOCO continues to unlawfully retain the properties belonging to our client,” it stated.
It also indicated that the money borrowed by Mr. Aludiba for his trip was intended solely for his travel and medical treatment.
“This money was not taken out of any account of his allegedly frozen, and its continued retention is legally baseless and is causing significant distress and financial hardship to our client. Furthermore, our client’s two mobile phones, which were seized during his arrest, have also not been returned.”
Breach of Privacy
Meanwhile, the legal team has accused EOCO of breaching Mr. Aludiba’s privacy, alleging that the Office unlawfully accessed the data on his phones without any judicial authorisation.
“Specifically, the access occurred on July 6, 2026 at 7:39 p.m. and again on July 7, 2026 at 9:33 a.m., during which time our client was in your custody and his phones were in your possession. This constitutes an unlawful interference with personal properties and a grave invasion of his right to privacy guaranteed under Article 18(2) of the Constitution, 1992,” it disclosed.
The letter also raised concerns about EOCO retaining Mr. Aludiba’s passport, contrary to the order of the High Court dated June 29, 2026, granting him permission to travel to the UK for medical treatment.
“The passport was released by the Court to enable him travel out of the jurisdiction, and he was ordered to return it directly to the Registrar of the High Court. In accordance with Article 21(4) of the Constitution, the seizure of a citizen’s passport without the authorisation of a court order is unwarranted,” it added.
Mr. Dame is, therefore, demanding “the immediate release of the two mobile phones and the money seized” from his client, together with all other items unlawfully held by EOCO.
He also demanded a full account of any data accessed from his client’s phones, adding that “We hope we will not be compelled to resort to unnecessary litigation.”
BY Gibril Abdul Razak