The High Court in Accra has dismissed an emergency ex-parte application filed by alleged romance scam suspect Abu Trica seeking to halt his extradition to the United States, ruling that the matter cannot be determined without first hearing from the Attorney-General.
Delivering the decision, the Court held that extradition proceedings involve both the sovereignty of the State and the rights of the accused, making it inappropriate to grant the relief sought without notice to the State.
The application, filed by a legal team led by lawyer and activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, sought a stay of execution of the High Court’s July 2 extradition order pending an intended appeal.
The defence also asked the Court to suspend the enforcement of an earlier committal order and restrain the Minister for the Interior, the Attorney-General, the Ghana Police Service acting through INTERPOL, and other state agencies from transferring Abu Trica into U.S. custody until all appellate proceedings had been concluded.
The application followed the High Court’s July 2 dismissal of Abu Trica’s habeas corpus application, which challenged the legality of his detention while extradition proceedings were underway.
Although the Court declined to hear the matter on an ex-parte basis, it directed that the application be served on the Attorney-General for an inter partes hearing. While the case had initially been scheduled for July 13, the Court abridged the time and fixed July 9, 2026, for the application to be heard.
Abu Trica remains the subject of extradition proceedings following a request by United States authorities over alleged romance scam-related offences.
