A High Court has thrown out the Mustapha Hamid travel request, rejecting the former National Petroleum Authority CEO's bid to leave the country while he stands trial over allegations of extorting money from petroleum sector players.
The application, opposed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, sought temporary relief from travel restrictions attached to Hamid's bail conditions.
In its ruling Thursday, October 22, the Court made clear that an accused person facing such restrictions carries the burden of showing compelling reasons before any relaxation is granted.
The judge found Hamid's stated grounds insufficient to justify lifting the restriction, even temporarily, and dismissed the application outright. That leaves his movement limited for now, with the restriction standing unless a future court order changes it.
Hamid, who also previously served as Minister for Information, is the first accused in The Republic v Mustapha Hamid & 7 Others, a case built around allegations that he and the others extorted money from operators in the petroleum sector while he led the NPA.
A Trial Marked by Procedural Battles
This is not the first setback for the defence team. Hamid and his co-accused had earlier pushed to have the entire charge sheet struck out, a motion the Court also dismissed, clearing the way for pre-trial processes to continue.
Scheduling has proven contentious too, with an adjournment request from Hamid's lead counsel, Joseph Kpemka, rejected by the Court in an earlier sitting.
With the travel application now dismissed, attention turns to the case management conference, where the trial is expected to move forward.
For now, Hamid remains bound by the same restrictions that have governed his bail conditions since the case began, with no indication from the Court of any upcoming review.
READ ALSO: Former UK Deputy Prime Minister Warns Ghana Faces Jihadist Threat Via Illegal Mining
