The Gbese District Court has adjourned to February 7, 2026 its ruling on applications seeking the discharge of Frederick Kumi, also known as Abu Trica, and two alleged accomplices in an ongoing extradition-related matter.
The adjournment followed an application by the Attorney-General’s Office to withdraw charges against Lord Eshun and Bernard Aidoo, who were arraigned as alleged accomplices of Abu Trica.
The Republic indicated its intention to discontinue proceedings against the two accused persons after further review of the case.
Following the prosecution’s move, Counsel for Abu Trica, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, applied for his client to also be discharged, arguing that the charge of conspiracy cannot stand against a single person, when the alleged co-conspirators are no longer before the court.
The three accused persons were first arraigned on December 12, 2025 on an extradition charge sheet.
They were cited as accessories under Section 6 of Act 22 in relation to alleged offences involving conspiracy to defraud.
Explaining the basis for the withdrawal, State Attorney Derrick Ackah Nyameke told the court that Lord Eshun and Bernard Aidoo were arraigned as accessories to Abu Trica and that the prosecution required time to “put its house in order.”
Counsel for the second and third accused persons, Robert Ishmael Aggrey Finn Amissah, welcomed the withdrawal, contending that there were no provisional charges against his clients and that they had been improperly arraigned before the court.
In his submissions, Mr Barker-Vormawor argued that the charge sheet filed by the Republic on December 12, 2025 showed that Abu Trica was charged with two counts of conspiracy to defraud.
He maintained that under Ghanaian law, one person cannot be convicted of conspiracy when the alleged conspirators have been identified and subsequently discharged.
“Our law is clear that where alleged conspirators are known and have been discharged, it is legally impossible to proceed against the remaining accused person,” he argued, adding that the charge sheet did not indicate the existence of any co-conspirators at large.
He, therefore, prayed the court to discharge and release Abu Trica. However, the prosecution opposed the application, insisting that Abu Trica was not before the court to stand trial for a criminal offence in Ghana, but rather for committal proceedings linked to an extradition request.
Mr Ackah Nyameke explained that under Act 22 and the 1931 Extradition Treaty between the United States and the United Kingdom, a fugitive may be provisionally arrested and arraigned before a district court, pending the receipt of a formal diplomatic extradition request.
He further disclosed that there was a pending motion on notice seeking to stay the extradition proceedings, which had been served on the prosecution earlier in the day.
He urged the court to allow the extradition process to proceed in accordance with the law.
In response, Mr Barker-Vormawor maintained that committal proceedings must be grounded in offences recognisable under Ghanaian law.
He argued that conspiracy, as charged, is not an extraditable offence under Article 3 of the treaty relied upon by the Republic, describing the proceedings as legally unsustainable.
Presiding Judge, Her Worship Bernice Ackon, declined to discharge any of the accused persons at this stage and adjourned the matter for ruling.
The case has been adjourned to February 7, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. for the court’s decision.
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The post Court adjourns ruling on discharge application in Abu Trica’s extradition case appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
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