EOCO returns Hanan’s £6,700, GH¢2,750, laptops and phones after lawyers protest

At the last hearing of the case on September 29, 2026, when the prosecution indicated its readiness to call its first witness, lead counsel for Hanan, Godfred Dame, submitted that the trial could not commence if the items seized were not returned to the accused persons, especially since the mobile phones contained critical pieces of evidence the defence would use in their defence against the case of the prosecution.

The court said that since counsel for the first accused might need the phones alleged to have been seized by the State to enable him to prepare adequately for the trial in accordance with Article 29(2)(d) and (g) of the Constitution, it was impossible to proceed with the trial when that issue had not been determined.

The court presided over by Justice Francis Achibonga, agreed that the prosecution could not commence its case and call its first witness without first determining the application seeking the release of the phones and other properties of the first accused.