Samuel Atta Akyea, lead counsel for former National Signals Bureau Director Kwabena Adu-Boahene and his wife, Angela Adjei Boateng, has defended his decision not to appear in court on Tuesday, August 11, despite a directive for the trial to continue during the legal vacation.

Mr Atta Akyea says his decision was deliberate and grounded in what he considers the traditional purpose of the legal vacation.

In a media interview, he argued that the vacation period exists primarily to give lawyers a break from the demanding nature of court work, rather than to conduct lengthy substantive trials.

“We are in the legal vacation, and if you pay regard to the history of legal vacation, it is very obvious that they are not intended for substantial cases before the court like hard-heard criminal cases.

“They are intended that the lawyers should rest and where there are emergencies, some consequential motions that should have the attention of the Judiciary, the vacation Judge will sit and listen to the motions,” he said in an interview with TV3.

He also pointed to the increasing use of virtual proceedings, arguing that lawyers can participate in urgent hearings remotely without disrupting the broader purpose of the vacation period.

“Now, it has even become virtual that you can sit in the comfort of your law firm and move the motion for the Judge to determine one way or the other,” he stated.

The lawyer questioned the decision to require selected cases to proceed during the vacation under the justification of expediting trials.

He described the arrangement as an unusual departure from established court practice and questioned why certain cases should receive special treatment.

“So, we do not understand why, in the name of expedited trial and ambulance trials, some special courts should sit to deal with some special cases probably to achieve some special ends. We do not understand it,” he said.

Mr Atta Akyea further made it clear that he and his legal team do not intend to endorse what he considers a significant departure from the conventional approach to legal vacation.

Meanwhile, the High Court in Accra has technically given former Director-General of the National Signals Bureau (NSB), Kwabena Adu-Boahene, and his wife, Angela Adjei Boateng, six days to secure the presence of their lawyers for the continuation of their trial on August 17.

The court warned that if they fail to appear with counsel on the next adjourned date, they will be required to personally continue the cross-examination of the fourth prosecution witness.

Justice Francis Apangabonu Achibonga, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court judge, further directed that if the accused persons fail to conduct the cross-examination themselves, the witness will be discharged.

The directive followed proceedings on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, when Adu-Boahene and his wife appeared in court without their legal team.

Adu-Boahene, Angela Adjei Boateng and Advantage Solutions are facing 11 charges, including allegations of stealing GH¢49.1 million intended for a cybersecurity defence system.

They have pleaded not guilty and are on bail.