Fresh court documents filed at the High Court in Accra have revealed a sweeping list of criminal charges against former National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) Chief Executive Officer, Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, over alleged financial improprieties involving millions of Ghana cedis.

The new charge sheet, filed by the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice on May 15, 2026, levels 20 counts against the couple, including stealing, defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the State, abuse of public office for profit, dishonestly receiving and money laundering.

The latest development follows the dramatic re-arrest of Mr Aludiba and his wife by operatives of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) shortly after they were discharged by the High Court in an earlier case.

According to the court filing, prosecutors accuse the former NAFCO boss of fraudulently obtaining GH¢734,400, the cedi equivalent of US$127,500, from NAFCO in 2017 under the pretext of rent payments purportedly covering the period between May 2017 and May 2019.

The state alleges that the representation was false and constituted defrauding by false pretence contrary to Section 131 of the Criminal Offences Act.

A second charge accuses Mr Abdul-Wahab of wilfully causing financial loss to the state through the same alleged rent claim.

However, the most substantial allegations relate to payments allegedly made through a private entity known as Sawtina Enterprise.

The prosecution claims that between February 2017 and February 2025, Mr Aludiba, while serving as CEO of NAFCO, allegedly diverted approximately GH¢50.8 million from the state agency under the guise of making payments to one James Tieku-Apawu, trading as Sawtina Enterprise, for foodstuff purchases.

Court documents allege that the transactions amounted to stealing and constituted abuse of public office for personal gain.

The state further contends that the payments caused substantial financial loss to NAFCO.

In another set of allegations, prosecutors accuse the former CEO of channelling payments from NAFCO to a business allegedly owned by his wife, identified in the charge sheet as Alqarni Enterprise.

The documents allege that between September 2018 and August 2019, payments amounting to more than GH¢3.34 million were made to the enterprise for purported food supply transactions.

Prosecutors claim the transactions were fraudulent and constituted theft and abuse of office.

Faiza Seidu Wuni, named as the second accused person, is facing separate charges, including defrauding by false pretence, dishonestly receiving and money laundering.

According to the charge sheet, the state alleges she falsely represented that her business had supplied food items to NAFCO, causing the company to part with more than GH¢3.34 million.

The prosecution also alleges that she knowingly received and possessed funds believed to have been obtained through unlawful means.

The money laundering charge filed under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044), accuses her of taking possession of the funds while allegedly aware that the money had been acquired through stealing.

The case has already generated significant public and political attention following complaints by defence lawyers over the handling of the accused persons after their re-arrest.

Counsel for the former NAFCO CEO, former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, had earlier criticised EOCO’s actions, accusing investigators of denying the accused access to lawyers and refusing bail despite existing court processes and earlier bail conditions.

Mr Dame also described the prosecution’s conduct as an abuse of prosecutorial discretion and alleged that his clients had endured what he termed “pre-trial torture and harassment".

The Attorney General’s office, however, appears determined to pursue the fresh prosecution, which now broadens the scope of allegations beyond the earlier proceedings.

NAFCO, a state-owned institution established to support food security and stabilise agricultural commodity prices, has in recent years faced scrutiny over procurement practices, storage systems and financial management.

The case is expected to return to court in the coming days as prosecutors seek to formally move the new charges against the accused persons.

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Former NAFCO boss Hanan and wife face court again over theft, fraud and money laundering involving over GH¢60m

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