The Court of Appeal has dismissed an application filed by Nana Appiah Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Menzgold Ghana Limited, seeking to halt his ongoing criminal trial.
The application was filed pending the resolution of an appeal challenging a High Court ruling that directed him to open his defense.
In 2024, the High Court ruled that Nana Appiah Mensah, popularly known as NAM1, must open his defense in a criminal case involving multiple charges. These charges include operating a gold dealership without a license, fraudulent breach of trust, defrauding by false pretenses, and money laundering.
His legal team subsequently filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal to overturn the High Court’s decision, seeking a stay of proceedings until the appeal was determined.
However, on Monday, May 19, 2025, state prosecutors argued before the appellate court that the application was an attempt to overreach the court’s authority, and that no exceptional circumstances had been presented to justify halting the trial.
The three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, comprising Justices Gbiel Suurbaareh, Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, and Christopher Archer, unanimously dismissed the application.
Following the ruling, Frederick Forson, spokesperson for the aggrieved customers of Menzgold, welcomed the decision as a significant step toward justice.
He described the ruling as an important moment for those who suffered losses from Menzgold’s operations.
Despite the setback, Nana Appiah Mensah has signaled his intention to further appeal the decision at the Supreme Court, based on legal advice from his counsel.
SP/MA
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