{
  "id": 594017,
  "title": "Court maintains Adu-Boahene trial will continue during legal vacation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/court-maintains-adu-boahene-trial-will-continue-during-legal-vacation",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-11T18:33:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ghana Business News",
    "slug": "ghana-business-news",
    "url": "https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2026/08/11/court-maintains-adu-boahene-trial-will-continue-during-legal-vacation/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An Accra High Court has decided that the trial of former National Signals Bureau Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene will continue during the legal vacation. Justice Francis Apangabuno Achibonga, a Court of Appeal Justice presiding as an additional High Court Judge, ruled that the warrant permitting the judge to sit during the vacation remains valid until revoked by the Chief Justice. The decision was made after some defense lawyers, including Samuel Atta-Akyea, were absent when the case was set for further hearings. Adu-Boahene, who was present in court, explained that he had trouble contacting his lawyer and learned that counsel had been busy elsewhere over the weekend. He requested the Court to allocate time to resolve the issue surrounding his legal representation. The Deputy Attorney-General, Dr Srem-Sai, informed the Court that the prosecution was aware of defense lawyers' intentions not to attend proceedings during the legal vacation. He emphasized that the authority to decide whether courts should sit during the vacation rests with the Chief Justice, and any directive in this regard is binding on the judge. According to Order 75 Rule 4 and Order 71 Rule 11 of the High Court Rules, the Chief Justice has the power to determine court sessions during the vacation, and there is no law, rule, practice, or convention that enables a lawyer or group of lawyers to independently decide whether proceedings should continue. If defense lawyers had a legitimate reason for absence, they could request an adjournment, subject to the Court's discretion. Justice Achibonga pointed out that Atta-Akyea was present when the case was postponed to August 11-13, 2026, but did not appear without obtaining permission, and the Ghana Bar Association had also expressed concerns to the Chief Justice. The judge clarified that these petitions and communications did not constitute a halt to proceedings, as the warrant authorizing him to sit during the vacation still holds. He allowed the trial to continue without Adu-Boahene's lawyers, as the accused were present in court. If the defense remained unrepresented at the next hearing, they might be compelled to conduct the cross-examination themselves, or the fourth prosecution witness, Frank Marshall Cromwell, could be discharged. The case was subsequently adjourned to August 17, 2026, for further proceedings.",
  "summary": "An Accra High Court has maintained that the trial of former National Signals Bureau Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene will continue during the legal vacation. The post Court maintains Adu-Boahene trial will continue during legal vacation appeared first on Ghana Business News .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Ghana Business News",
        "title": "Legal researcher challenges judicial vacation at Supreme Court",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/legal-researcher-challenges-judicial-vacation-at-supreme-court",
        "published": "2026-08-13T06:41:59.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}