The Supreme Court has thrown out an application filed by Nana Appiah Mensah, widely known as NAM 1, which sought to overturn earlier decisions of the High Court and Court of Appeal in his ongoing criminal case.
The ruling clears the way for the trial to proceed without further delay.
NAM 1, former Chief Executive Officer of the now-defunct Menzgold Ghana Limited, is facing several charges, including operating without a gold trading licence, fraudulent breach of trust, defrauding by false pretence, and money laundering.
In 2024, the High Court ordered him to open his defence, a directive he has repeatedly contested through various appeals.
His legal team had earlier petitioned the Court of Appeal to suspend proceedings at the High Court pending the outcome of an appeal against that order.
The appellate court, however, dismissed the request, ruling that no exceptional grounds existed to justify halting the trial. Prosecutors argued that the move was an attempt to “overreach the authority of the court.”
The three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Gbiel Suurbaareh with Justices Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe and Christopher Archer, unanimously rejected the stay application.
NAM 1 subsequently advanced the matter to the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the appellate decision.
On Wednesday, December 10, the Supreme Court dismissed his application, affirming that he must comply with the High Court’s directive to open his defence.
The decision paves the way for the continuation of proceedings in a case that has attracted widespread public interest.
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