The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has apologised to the Adentan High Court for failing to file a timely response to an application challenging the freezing of assets belonging to former National Buffer Stock Company Chief Executive, Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba.
Mr Aludiba is before the Adentan High Court, seeking to set aside freezing orders EOCO obtained over several properties, which he says were acquired long before his appointment as Chief Executive of the National Buffer Stock Company in 2017.
Among the affected assets is a three-bedroom house in Tamale which EOCO has cited as evidence of alleged criminal conduct. Court filings indicate the property was acquired in 2013 and served as the venue for Mr Aludiba’s Islamic marriage that same year. Other properties listed in the application include three undeveloped plots of land and an uncompleted building.
Mr Aludiba argues that the freezing orders are unlawful and violate his constitutional rights, including the right to property, privacy, a fair hearing, and the presumption of innocence.
At a sitting on Thursday, 18 December 2025, lawyers for EOCO, led by Brew-Sam Esq., told the court that internal administrative bottlenecks had delayed the filing of their response. They said the response was filed only a day earlier and requested an adjournment to allow the applicant’s lawyers adequate time to review it once properly served.
The court granted the request and adjourned the matter to 20 January 2026 for hearing.
In a related development, the Dominic Ayine, has failed to file disclosures in the criminal case involving Mr Aludiba and three others, more than three months after charges were filed by the State.
The case, Republic v. Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba and Others, was called on Tuesday, 16 December 2025, but the prosecution had still not filed witness statements and other trial disclosures required by law.
The delay follows a high-profile press conference in October 2025 at which the Attorney-General publicly outlined the State’s case and described the alleged conduct as an elaborate scheme to steal from the public purse and launder the proceeds through real estate and luxury acquisitions.
Disclosures require the prosecution to furnish the defence with all documents and exhibits it intends to rely on at trial, enabling the accused persons to prepare their defence.
Richard Gyambiby of Dame and Partners, counsel for Mr Aludiba, said his client was ready to proceed but could not prepare adequately without the disclosures.
“We firmly believe in the innocence of our client and will mount a zealous defence. The prosecution bears the burden of proving beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Aludiba abused his office to cause loss to the Republic,” he said.
He added that the alleged acts could not have occurred under the accountability systems in place at the Buffer Stock Company during his client’s tenure.
Meanwhile, a source close to EOCO, who requested anonymity, told this news outlet that investigators are facing difficulties securing witness testimony and assembling evidence strong enough to withstand scrutiny in court.
The source said the challenges have contributed to delays, despite the Attorney-General’s public confidence following his October press briefing, which he described at the time as a “Rumble in the Jungle.”
On 28 October 2025, the Attorney-General announced that 24 charges, including stealing, money laundering, and causing financial loss to the state, had been filed against Mr Aludiba and his wife.
However, according to the source, aspects of the case initially believed to be straightforward have proven more complex.
“Gathering the evidence has become tough. What we thought was foolproof is no longer foolproof, and that has caused delays,” the source said.
The source added that while the case carries significant public and political weight, prosecution ultimately depends on evidence that can meet the legal threshold in court.
