The High Court in Accra says it is waiting for the outcome of the Court of Appeals decision in the case involving investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and former Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kwesi Nyantakyi, before moving on with the case.

The court set April 30, 2024, as the deadline for the first witness to appear before it or the accused persons will be discharged and the case will dismissed.

The court, in February, said, “If by April, no meaningful steps have been taken, Nyantakyi will be discharged.”

The accused’s lawyer hence prayed the court to dismiss the case, reminding the court of its earlier pronouncement of dismissing the case if the prosecution is not in court on April 30, 2024.

He cited the inconvenience caused by the second accused (Abdulai Alhassan), who has to travel from Tamale to Accra anytime the case is called and the inconvenience caused by the first accused (Kwesi Nyantakyi) by the state not opening their case as the basis for the case to “come to an end at a point in time.”

The court, however, said it had received two letters signed by the substantive attorney for the state all dated April 26, 2024, with both letters indicating the said counsel’s request for an adjournment due to her being called up for “an official assignment.”

The counsel in one of the letters called for an adjournment to May 15, and the other to May 22, 2024.

The court did indicate that at the last adjourned date it mentioned the pending two interlocutory appeals by both parties, especially by the first accused person on May 17, 2023, concerning the testimony of the first witness, the court was reluctant not to discharge the accused.

The court said it had been informed by the registrar of the court of appeal of the state of the appeal pending.

The court stated that the delay in the appeal had been due to some logistical constraint and also partly due to a mistake made by the prosecution in the title of the case (to correct the misspelt name of the first accused person) which, the order was granted.

While waiting for the Court of Appeal to determine the mode of testimony by Anas, the court proceeded to strike out witness statements of four other witnesses who have not been presented to testify despite repeated orders of the court to do so.

The case has been adjourned to June 10, 2024.

Background
Former GFA boss Kwesi Nyantakyi is facing charges of fraud by agent and corruption over his involvement in Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s “#Number 12 exposé”.

Mr Nyantakyi and former Northern Regional GFA boss, Abdulai Alhassan, who is the second accused, are facing additional charges of conspiracy to fraud.