Supreme Court Dismisses Application to Halt Gifty Oware-Mensah's Trial
- The Supreme Court has dismissed another application by former National Service Authority Deputy Executive Director, Gifty Oware-Mensah
- The court held that the constitutional challenge to a practice direction on witness disclosure did not meet the threshold for a stay of proceedings
- She is standing trial for allegedly causing financial loss of over GH¢38 million through a ghost names scheme, charges she has denied
The Supreme Court has dismissed an application by former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority, Gifty Oware-Mensah, which sought to temporarily halt her ongoing trial at the High Court.
She is standing trial for allegedly causing financial loss of over GH¢38 million to the state.
Source: Facebook
Her lawyer, Gary Nimako Marfo, asked the court to suspend proceedings while it considered a constitutional challenge to a practice direction requiring accused persons to submit names and addresses of defence witnesses at the case management stage.
According to a report by Graphiconline, the defence argued that this requirement contravenes Article 19(2)(c) of the 1992 Constitution, which presumes an accused person innocent until proven guilty.
Supreme Court allows trial to continue
A five-member panel, presided over by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, ruled on May 19, 2026, that the application did not meet the threshold for a stay of proceedings.
The court held that even if the constitutional issue is pursued, the High Court trial may proceed.
The court stated: “The applicant may choose to pursue the interpretation of the practice direction but the trial at the High Court may still go on.”
Filed by Attorney-General Dominic Ayine, the case alleges the creation of 9,934 ghost names on the National Service Authority system, leading to fraudulent payments through a private firm, resulting in over GH¢38 million in losses.
Oware-Mensah, who has pleaded not guilty, remains on bail as the High Court trial continues.
Ex-NAFCO CEO and wife re-arraigned before court
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that allegations against the former NAFCO CEO, Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, and his wife, Faiza, had been escalated in court, with the couple re-arraigned.
The Attorney General had restructured the case, dropping an earlier co-accused and naming him as a prosecution witness instead.
They denied the charges and have been granted bail under strict conditions, including passport surrender and regular reporting to EOCO.
Source: YEN.com.gh
