The Court of Appeal has dismissed an application by Nana Appiah Mensah, popularly known as NAM1, to halt his trial at the Accra High Court pending appeal.
NAM1, the Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Menzgold Ghana Limited, is standing trial for allegedly defrauding customers of his company.
He has pleaded not guilty to 39 counts, including selling gold without a license, operating a deposit-taking business without a license, inducement to invest, defrauding by false pretenses, fraudulent breach of trust, and money laundering.
The Court of Appeal held that NAM1 was unable to raise any exceptional circumstances for the court to exercise its discretion in his favor. The court’s decision means that the trial will proceed at the High Court on May 28.
NAM1’s lawyers had filed a Submission of No Case, arguing that the prosecution failed to prove guilt. However, the High Court affirmed the prosecution’s case, ordering NAM1 to open his defense. NAM1’s appeal led to the recent Court of Appeal ruling.
The trial judge, Justice Ernest Owusu Dapaah, had previously held that the state had established compelling evidence against NAM1, which justifies the order on him to mount his defense. With the Court of Appeal’s decision, the trial will continue as scheduled.