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Nana Appiah Mensah, also known as NAM1, was accused of using Menzgold Ghana Limited to engage in illicit gold trading. The High Court in Accra struck out a motion seeking a stay of proceedings in the criminal case and ordered him to file his witness statement by February 9, 2026.
Following the withdrawal of the application submitted on January 13, 2026, the court presided over by Justice Ernest Owusu-Dapaa issued the order.
Nana Appiah Mensah is being prosecuted as part of a multi-accused criminal trial including other people and businesses related to Menzgold Ghana Limited’s operations.
Paa Joy Akuamoah Boateng, the accused’s attorney, informed the court on Monday, February 2, 2026, that the withdrawal of a related judicial review application before the Supreme Court rendered the plea for a stay of proceedings invalid.
He clarified that the applicant’s choice to cease the substantive process had made the ongoing motion before the High Court “negatory,” hence he asked the court to strike it out as withdrawn.
Senior State Attorney Watkins Adama led the prosecution, which did not object to the application.
He described the withdrawal of the application for a stay of proceedings as a procedural action that did not harm the prosecution’s case and informed the court that the Republic had no objections.
The court noted an appeal against a summary of proceedings was ongoing but determined that it did not halt the trial.
The court’s decision stated that “trial shall proceed” and instructed NAM1, the first accused, to proceed with his primary evidence.
Justice Owusu-Dapaa further ordered the accused to file any planned documentary evidence at least three clear days before the next sitting, while the other accused were also directed to file their proposed documentary evidence.
In his evidence, NAM1 informed the court that Menzgold Ghana Limited was established in accordance with Ghanaian legislation to carry out gold mining, purchasing, value addition, and export.
He acknowledged that such activities required regulatory permits and maintained that the company held the relevant approvals at the time it operated, noting that the licensing process comprised documentation, payment of statutory fees and regulatory assessment.
He noted that the regulatory system later changed when PMMC’s duty transitioned from licensing to national assay activities.
The accused further informed the court that even though the company had licensing and incorporation paperwork, he had not been able to access some of them since the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) closed the business while law enforcement kept its offices open.
According to him, this development hindered his ability to retrieve papers necessary to his defence, a circumstance he stated could be verified by the state entities involved.
The court ordered the accused to submit his witness statement by February 9, 2026.
The case stems from the collapse of Menzgold Ghana Limited and related businesses, which resulted in the prosecution of Nana Appiah Mensah, as well as other accused individuals and two companies associated with the firm’s operations.
According to the prosecution, the accused face a number of criminal charges, including selling gold without a licence, operating a deposit-taking business without authorisation, inducement to invest, defrauding by false pretence, fraudulent breach of trust, and money laundering, in response to allegations that between 2016 and 2018, members of the public were duped into investing in gold transactions and related schemes via Menzgold.
NAM1 and the other accused have entered not guilty pleas to the charges and are awaiting trial before the High Court.
The Securities and Exchange Commission subsequently ordered the suspension of the company’s gold trading operations for operating without the necessary licence, which resulted in the closure of the business and subsequent investigations.
Source: newsthemegh.com
