The State has taken its fight to the Supreme Court, appealing a Court of Appeal decision that put the Hanan Aludiba trial on hold while the former Buffer Stock CEO challenges alleged defects in his charge sheet.
Deputy Attorney-General and Justice Minister Dr Justice Srem-Sai announced the appeal in a Facebook post Thursday, confirming it was filed Wednesday, October 21.
The move comes just days after the Court of Appeal halted proceedings at the High Court on Monday, October 19, pending a ruling on Hanan's objections to the charges against him.
Hanan Aludiba and his wife, Faiza Seidu, face a lengthy list of charges, including stealing, defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the Republic, using public office for profit, dishonestly receiving, and money laundering.
The High Court had already dismissed Hanan's bid to strike out the charge sheet back in July, a ruling he then appealed while separately asking for a stay of proceedings, which the Court of Appeal granted earlier this week.
Why the State Is Pushing Back
Dr Srem-Sai argued the suspension sets a troubling precedent for how criminal trials are handled whenever an accused person raises objections to their charges, especially after those objections have already failed in court.
"The law does not allow a criminal trial to be suspended simply because an Accused Person has complained about some of the charges on the charge sheet, more so when those complaints were dismissed as meritless." - Dr Srem-Sai
He framed the appeal as necessary not just for this case but for the broader implications it could have on how criminal prosecutions proceed when defendants file similar challenges going forward.
The appeal seeks to overturn the Court of Appeal's order and allow the High Court trial to resume while Hanan's separate appeal plays out.
The Supreme Court has not yet set a date to hear the matter, leaving the trial in limbo for now as the procedural dispute over the charge sheet continues to work its way through the courts.
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