The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to suspend the ongoing trials of former National Signals Bureau (NSB) Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahen and former National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) chief executive Hanan Abdul-Wahab until October.

The party wants the Chief Justice to withdraw the warrants authorising the judges handling the cases to sit during the legal vacation.

In a statement issued Tuesday (11 September), NPP General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong said the trials should resume when the legal term reopens, arguing that continuing the proceedings during the vacation undermines established practice governing vacation courts.

“The New Patriotic Party therefore calls on the Chief Justice to immediately withdraw the warrants for vacation trials so that the affected cases resume, like all others, when the legal term reopens,” Koduah said.

The NPP also urged the Chief Justice to heed a petition from the Ghana Bar Association and restore what it described as the settled practice governing vacation courts.

The party’s call follows a decision by the Chief Justice to allow the cases to proceed during the legal vacation despite objections from lawyers representing the accused.

Lawyers Samuel Atta Akyea and Godfred Dame, representing Adu-Boahen and Hanan respectively, had challenged the warrants authorising the judges to sit as vacation judges.

They cited professional commitments during the legal vacation and asked that the cases be adjourned until October.

The Chief Justice, however, rejected the calls, maintaining that adjournments are matters for the courts and cannot be treated as administrative decisions that are automatically affected by the legal vacation.

The NPP has also criticised an ultimatum issued by the High Court to Adu-Boahen and his wife.

The court, presided over by Justice Francis Achibonga, ruled Tuesday that the couple could be required to continue cross-examining a prosecution witness if their lawyers fail to appear at the next sitting.

The NPP urged the Chief Justice to withdraw the directive, arguing that the accused should not be compelled to proceed without lawyers of their choice.

The party said the Chief Justice should “ensure that Monday’s ultimatum to the accused is rescinded, since no person may be compelled to stand trial without counsel of his own choosing.”

The case has been adjourned to 17 August for further case management proceedings.