A startling case of alleged forgery in bail documents presented to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) earlier this year has emerged in the ongoing prosecution of former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Hannan Abdul-Wahab, and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni.

The couple, who are accused of causing the state a financial loss of more than GHC115 million, were before an Accra High Court presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvi-Tay, yesterday, Thursday, October 30, 2025, where the forgery came to light.

The two were granted fresh bail totalling GHS150 million after it came to light that their sureties had used forged documents to secure bail from EOCO in June this year.

Counsel for the accused, former Attorney-General Joseph Dindiok Kpemka, expressed shock over the revelation, saying his clients were unaware that fraudulent documents had been used.

“When bail was granted at EOCO, they abided by all the terms. It was a shock that the sureties presented were found to be forged; we could not have verified that,” Mr Kpemka told the Court, as he appealed for moderate bail terms.

The couple, who have pleaded not guilty to 24 charges including stealing, defrauding by false pretences, intentional dissipation of public funds, money laundering, and using public office for profit, were granted bail by Justice Audrey Kocuvi-Tay.

Abdul-Wahab was admitted to bail in the sum of GHS100 million with six sureties, four of whom must justify with landed property. He is also to be placed on a stop-list at all entry and exit points in the country. All sureties must submit copies of their Ghana Cards and update the Court on any change of address. The accused must report to investigators every Wednesday, while the investigator is mandated to file a monthly compliance report.

His wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, was separately granted bail in the sum of GHS50 million with four sureties, three of whom must justify with landed property within the Court’s jurisdiction. She is required to deposit her passports and also report weekly to investigators.

Mr Kpemka argued that the couple, who have young children, had cooperated fully with EOCO throughout the investigation and had never absconded. Citing Article 19(2)(c) of the Constitution, he reminded the Court that the accused must be presumed innocent until proven guilty. He urged that bail conditions “should not be so stringent as to amount to a denial”.

Deputy Attorney-General Dr Justice Srem-Sai did not oppose bail but urged the Court to consider the severity of the offences, describing them as serious white-collar crimes involving significant public funds.

He further warned that the first accused, described as “a man of substantial means with a fixed abode in a prime area of Accra”, could pose a flight risk.

The Court directed that disclosures be filed by 27 November 2025 at 9:00 a.m., ahead of the Case Management Conference on the same date.

The case has been adjourned for a Case Management Conference on November 27, 2025, when disclosures are expected to be filed.

At a press conference over a week ago, the Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, delved into the Buffer Stock scandal, detailing how Mr Abdul-Wahab, who served as CEO from 2017 to 2024, colluded with his wife and NAFCO staff to orchestrate the alleged theft of GH¢78.269 million.

He explained that the couple allegedly used seven entities, Alqarni Enterprise, Aludiba Enterprise, Energy Partners Limited, Fa-Hausa Ventures, Fa-Hausa Company Limited, Aludiba Foundation, and Sawtina Enterprise, as vehicles to receive and launder the proceeds of crime.

“My fellow countrymen and women, I called the criminal enterprise operated by Mr Abdul-Wahab and his collaborators at the Buffer Stock ‘the Rumble in the Jungle’ not only because of the huge amount of money at stake but because of the fact that while food suppliers were wailing and gnashing their teeth due to failure to pay them, and while our school kids were being denied nutrition, Mr Abdul-Wahab and his collaborators were busy lawlessly looting funds meant for the programme.

That is jungle behaviour,” the A-G stated emphatically.

A key conduit in the scheme was Sawtina Enterprise, a company allegedly owned by NAFCO’s Northern Sector Manager, James Atieku-Apawu, which, in itself, put him in a conflict of interest.

Dr Ayine revealed that while Sawtina received GH¢78.2 million from the Buffer Stock for purported food supplies, only GH¢27.4 million was backed by genuine supplies.

“The bulk of the payments, about 98 per cent of the GH¢78.2 million, were instantly re-transferred to Alqarni Enterprise, Fa-Hausa Ventures and other entities owned and controlled by or affiliated to Hanan Abdul-Wahab and Faiza Seidu Wuni,” the A-G said.

The alleged ill-gotten wealth, according to Dr Ayine, was lavishly spent on high-end real estate across the country.

The assets traced and frozen by the state include a five-bedroom house purchased for $1.6 million, a three-bedroom house in Cantonments bought for $600,000, and a luxury three-plot development at Finali’s Airport site, now valued at approximately $2.5 million.

Others include a 17-bedroom boutique hotel in Tamale operating under the Villa Monticello franchise, multiple residential and commercial properties in Accra and Tamale, and a government land in Accra.

The state has also frozen a GH¢10 million fixed deposit belonging to Mr Abdul-Wahab, several vehicles, and over 61 luxury handbags.

The Attorney-General affirmed the government’s resolve to hold public officers accountable, stating that the evidence gathered by EOCO was overwhelming.

The A-G appealed to Ghanaians to be patient with his office as it gathers enough evidence to secure a successful conviction in any criminal trial.

“I was not an incompetent lawyer in private practice, and I wouldn’t want to be an incompetent lawyer in public office,” Dr Ayine declared.