Appeal To Stop Trial Flops, as victims yearn for Juctice
By Phillip Antoh
In a significant development in the protracted legal saga involving Nana Appiah Mensah, the Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Menzgold Ghana Limited, the Court of Appeal has decisively rejected his application seeking to halt the ongoing criminal trial against him.
Mr. Mensah, widely known as NAM1, had approached the appellate court to suspend the criminal proceedings initiated against him at the High Court. This application was filed concurrently with an appeal challenging an earlier High Court ruling that mandated him to present his defense in the case.
The High Court, in 2024, had directed Mr. Appiah Mensah to answer to a litany of serious charges, including operating a gold trading business without the requisite license, fraudulent breach of trust, defrauding by false pretenses, and money laundering.
Subsequently, his legal team lodged an appeal at the Court of Appeal, contesting this directive. As part of this appeal, they sought a stay of proceedings at the High Court until the appellate court had rendered its decision on their challenge.
However, their efforts proved futile today, May 19, 2025, as state prosecutors successfully argued before the Court of Appeal that the application lacked merit.
The prosecution contended that Mr. Mensah’s move was an attempt to overreach the court’s jurisdiction and failed to demonstrate any exceptional circumstances that would warrant a suspension of the trial.
A panel of three justices at the Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Gbiel Suurbaareh, with Justices Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe and Christopher Archer concurring, delivered a unanimous verdict dismissing Mr. Appiah Mensah’s application.
The ruling has been met with approval from representatives of the numerous aggrieved customers of Menzgold. Frederick Forson, speaking on behalf of these customers, hailed the court’s decision as a crucial step forward in their pursuit of justice.
Meanwhile, Mr. Appiah Mensah has indicated his intention to explore a further appeal to the Supreme Court, citing advice received from his legal counsel.
This suggests that the protracted legal battle surrounding the collapse of Menzgold is far from over, leaving thousands of affected investors in continued anticipation of a final resolution.
The dismissal of this latest application, however, marks a notable setback for the defense and paves the way for the criminal trial to proceed at the High Court.