Court of Appeal overturns Accra High Court decision to start Opuni and Agongo trial afresh

Today, July 3, a three-member panel of the court delivered a unanimous verdict, stating that the trial High Court had erred in its decision not to adopt the previous proceedings of the six-year trial when a new judge assumed responsibility for the case.

This decision by the Court of Appeal signifies that the trial will now proceed based on the existing proceedings and evidence gathered throughout the duration of the trial.

The reversal of the Accra High Court's decision indicates a step towards the continuation of the legal proceedings against Dr. Opuni and Mr. Agongo without the need to start from scratch.

What happened in court today

A three member Court of Appeal panel presided over Justice Philip Bright Mensah, has by unanimous decision ordered the High Court hearing the case of the Republic versus Stephen Kwabena Opuni and two others to adopt proceedings from the trial conducted by the previous judge who heard the case from 2018 till March 2023.

The decision of the Court of Appeal followed an appeal by the Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame which challenged the decision of the High Court presided over by Justice Kwesi Anokye Gyimah, not to inherit proceedings from the court presided over by Justice Clemence Honyenuga (now retired), which started the trial in 2018.

According to the Court of Appeal panel, which included Justice Ernest Owusu Dapaah and Justice Jennifer Abena Dadzie, the decision of Justice Kwesi Anokye Gyimah not to adopt the proceedings from the previous court amounted to a misdirection of the Courts powers.

The court further concluded that considering the circumstances of the case in question (the Republic versus Stephen Kwabena Opuni and two others), justice will be better served if the proceedings are adopted for the new trial judge to continue from where the previous court left off.

"The decision of the High Court is referred to this Court, and the appeal is allowed in its entirety. The proceedings of the previous court presided over by Justice Clemence Honyenuga be adopted by the High Court differently constituted, and the registrar of the High Court is ordered to do so accordingly, " the Court of Appeal ruled.

After the proceedings in court, Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame told journalists that he believes the Court of Appeal decision will ensure fairness to both sides of the case (the prosecution and the defence).

He also indicated that his Office has drafted a bill that is aimed at improving the country's criminal jurisprudence and one of the provisions in the new Bill addresses the issue of adopting proceedings in criminal trials by other courts in the event that another trial court or judge is unable to conclude a matter before them.

YNA/WA