The Accra High Court has directed the prosecution to amend two counts in the criminal case involving Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba and Faiza Seidu Wuni, while dismissing the defense’s application challenging the validity of the remaining charges.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Francis Achibonga held that the prosecution is only required to provide sufficient particulars in a charge sheet to reasonably inform an accused person of the allegations against them and enable them to prepare an effective defense.
The court found that, with the exception of two counts, the particulars contained in the charge sheet were adequate for a reasonable person to understand the offences alleged against the accused persons.
The defense, led by former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame, had argued that the accused persons had been charged with different offences arising from the same transaction.
However, the court rejected the broader application, ruling that the remaining charges were valid.
Justice Achibonga, however, found that Count 14 against the first accused and Count 9 against the second accused were defective because they lacked sufficient particulars to support the offence of defrauding by false pretences.
The court consequently ordered the prosecution to amend the two counts to cure the identified defects before the trial proceeds.
The ruling clears the way for the criminal trial to continue once the prosecution complies with the court’s directive to amend the affected charges.
