{
  "id": 1519464,
  "title": "Godfred Dame opposes trial of Hanan Abdul-Hamid during legal vacation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/godfred-dame-opposes-trial-of-hanan-abdul-hamid-during-legal-vacation",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T16:44:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Adom Online",
    "slug": "adom-online",
    "url": "https://www.adomonline.com/godfred-dame-opposes-trial-of-hanan-abdul-hamid-during-legal-vacation/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Godfred Yeboah Dame, the former Attorney-General and lawyer for ex-NAFCO CEO Hanan Abdul-Hamid, has refused to allow his client to proceed with his trial during Ghana’s legal vacation without a lawyer of his choosing. Dame contends that compelling an accused person to carry out proceedings without a lawyer of their own selection would breach a core constitutional right and potentially establish an unfavorable precedent for Ghana’s justice system. This stance emerged following a recent order by Court of Appeal Judge Francis Apangabonu Achibonga, who presided over the trial of former NSB Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene and his wife, Angela Adjei Boateng. The judge ordered the couple to ensure their lawyers are present when the case resumes on August 17, warning that absence of legal representation could see the couple personally conduct the cross-examination of the fourth prosecution witness. Should this occur, failure to do so might lead to the witness being released. In an interview with journalists after Monday’s proceedings, Dame expressed skepticism that the same scenario would unfold in his client's case, as the forthcoming hearing is anticipated to address an application to halt proceedings while a motion decision by the Court of Appeal is pending. However, he reiterated his stance that a trial should not take place during the legal vacation. \"In any event, I’m saying that there cannot be a trial in the vacation. If the court indeed wants to order my client to conduct the case by himself, so be it,\" Dame asserted. He emphasized that a person accused of a crime has a constitutional right to legal representation and that this right cannot be forfeited by a court order. \"We’ll see the kind of dangerous precedent that would set in this country. A party has a right to legal representation, to counsel of his choice, and that right is constitutional. It cannot be taken away from a person just by the stroke of the pen of any person,\" he added. Repeatedly, Dame has objected to the decision to handle the case during the legal vacation, arguing that criminal proceedings should only be conducted during the period under exceptional circumstances. He also questioned the urgency of the case, asserting that no emergency exists to warrant proceeding with the trial during the vacation.",
  "summary": "Former Attorney-General and lead counsel for former National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) Chief Executive Officer Hanan Abdul-Hamid, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has rejected any attempt to compel his client to continue his trial during the legal vacation without legal representation. Mr Dame argued that forcing an accused person to conduct proceedings without a lawyer of […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}