By: Barbara Kumah
Former Chief Executive Officer of National Food and Buffer Stock Company Limited (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, have denied for allegedly stealing and causing financial loss to the state totaling GH¢62.6 million.
The two were discharged by a High Court on May 5, 2026, following a decision by the Attorney General to drop all charges against them over the discovery of new evidence. They returned to court on Monday, May 18, in the afternoon, following the filing of a new charge sheet at the registry of the High Court in Accra on May 15, 2026, by the prosecution.
They have been admitted to bail in the sum of 60 million for the first accused and 3.5 million cedis for the second accused with two sureties each, to be justified.
They are to deposit their passports to the registry of the court, and also report to the offices of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) once every two weeks.
Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, are facing a total of 20 charges, including defrauding by false pretences, stealing, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, using public office for profit, dishonestly receiving and intentionally causing financial loss to the state.
The facts indicate that Mr. Abdul-Wahab operating under the name Sawtina Enterprise allegedly stole GH¢50,879,210 from NAFCO by transferring it to James Tieku-Apawu, a Regional Manager of NAFCO, between February 2017 and February 2025 under the guise of making payment from the NAFCO account.
He is also accused of defrauding by false pretences by receiving GH¢734,400 from NAFCO for rent covering the period of May 2017 and May 2019 at Chain Homes at Tseado in Accra.
Prosecution, claims that at the time Hanan took the rent allowance, the apartments were not built and he was living somewhere else.
Faiza Seidu Wuni, on the other hand, is accused of defrauding by false pretences in her capacity as the proprietor of Alqarni Enterprise by making a false representation that she had supplied foodstuff to NAFCO, causing the state agency to pay her GH¢3,342,759.08 between September 2018 and August 2019.
She is also accused of laundering the amount by taking possession of it, while knowing that the money was acquired through stealing from NAFCO. That in 2025, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Office of the Attorney General received information that Hanan has, over the eight years that he was the CEO of NAFCO, embezzled hundreds of millions of Ghana Cedis from NAFCO.
It says EOCO’s preliminary investigations revealed that the transfers were made from NAFCO into Sawtina’s bank accounts with Ecobank, and Republic Bank, Labone branch.
According to the prosecution, Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba maintains several personal bank accounts with the Labone branch of the Republic Bank, with the same bank relationship officer managing all the accounts.
The said officer James ,Tieku-Apawu, in a series of police investigative caution interviews, admitted receiving a total of GH¢78,269,082.04 from NAFCO into Sawtina’s bank account. He, however, explained that only about 20% of that amount was for genuine foodstuff supplies he made to NAFCO.
EOCO’s investigations reveal that the remaining 80% of the bank transfers was for “no supplies at all,” court documents point out.
The documents further claim that investigations have established that more than GH¢50 million was transferred from Sawtina’s bank account back to Hanan directly, to his other businesses, to his wife’s businesses, and for the acquisition of landed properties in prime areas in Accra and elsewhere.
Again, the brief facts allege that subsequent investigations have established that the monies which the couple and their associates deposited into Fa-Hausa Ventures bank account were used by them to purchase properties in prime areas in Accra, Tamale and elsewhere.
Investigations have also established that a significant amount of the monies in Fa-Hausa Ventures’s bank account – in excess of GH¢161,459,987.27 were invested by the accused persons in money instruments and other securities and investments products for their personal use and benefit.
Godfred Yeboah-Dame, lawyer for Mr. Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, speaking after proceedings, said, he is glad proceedings as he expected in relation to posting bail for his client.
WATCH AS GODFRED YEBOAH-DAME, LAWYER FOR FORMER BUFFER STOCK COMPANY BOSS SPEAKS TO THE ISSUES
The case before the special court, presided over Justice Francis Apongabono Achibongo, has been adjourned to May 28, for case management conference.
