Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story has been updated to improve accuracy and clarity.

The state has backed down on its legal bid to cancel the travel clearance granted to the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, after the timeline of the disputed court order lapsed.

The High Court in Accra had previously permitted the first accused to travel to London under a judicial order that expired on Sunday, July 12, 2026.

Despite initiating a legal challenge to block the trip, the prosecution formally withdrew its application at the High Court on Thursday, July 16, 2026, citing the expiration of the travel timeline.

When the case was called, the Deputy Attorney-General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, applied for the court's permission to nullify the state’s motion, which had been filed on July 8, 2026.

“We pray for leave to withdraw the motion considering that the order in respect of which the motion was filed has lapsed as at July 12, 2026,” Dr. Srem-Sai told the court.

The application to withdraw was, however, met with criticism from the defence team, led by former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame. Mr. Dame accused the prosecution of intentionally engineering the timing of the lawsuit to undermine the court’s authority.

“Clearly, the application itself was intended to truncate the order of the court to ensure that the first accused was unable to act in accordance with the orders of the court,” Mr. Dame argued.

He further contended, “By filing the motion and fixing it on a day after the lapse of the order, the Republic succeeded in subverting the lawful order of the court.”

According to Mr. Dame, the state’s application was fundamentally dead on arrival because the hearing date was set well after the travel window had already closed.

Beyond the travel dispute, the defence accused the state of ongoing non-compliance with judicial directives, pointing to the continuous retention of the former NAFCO boss's passport and personal funds.

“As we averred in the affidavit in opposition that we filed, as a result of the action of the Republic in causing the arrest of the accused, they seized the applicant’s money and passport. They are still in disobedience of the orders of the court by seizing the passport of the accused,” Mr. Dame submitted.

In a swift rebuttal, the Deputy Attorney-General dismissed the defence's claims of procedural manipulation, pointing out that the prosecution has no administrative power over court schedules.

“It is not correct that the Republic fixed the date for the hearing of the motion. It is common knowledge that the court registry is the authority that fixes dates for motions and not a party,” Dr. Srem-Sai stated.

Addressing the passport issue, the Deputy AG explained that the state had expected Mr. Aludiba to retrieve the document under agreed reporting protocols. He noted that the accused was expected to report on Monday, July 14, with a clear indication that he would pick up his passport, but he failed to do so.

“He refused to report,” the Deputy AG told the court.

In his ruling, the presiding judge, Justice Francis Apangabonu Achibonga, accepted the state's request and officially dismissed the application.

“The motion filed on 8th July 2026 for an order to revoke the leave granted the first accused person to travel to London is hereby struck out as withdrawn,” Justice Achibonga ruled.

The former NAFCO boss, Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, attended the court proceedings alongside his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, who is the second accused in the ongoing case.