The Gbese District Court has dismissed a preliminary objection filed by lawyers for Frederick Kumi, popularly known as Abu Trica, clearing the way for extradition proceedings initiated by the United States to continue.
Abu Trica is wanted by US authorities for alleged conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges are linked to an international probe into transnational financial crimes, including a romance scam network that reportedly defrauded elderly victims in the US of over $8 million.
His legal team, led by private legal practitioner and activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, had challenged the legal foundation of the extradition request. The defence argued that the offences cited — conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering — are not explicitly listed as extraditable offences under the 1931 extradition treaty between Ghana and the United States.
Counsel further contended that Ghana cannot rely on more recent domestic laws to broaden the scope of the old treaty. They also maintained that the treaty’s provisions on conspiracy do not cover the specific charges in this case.
Despite these arguments, the court on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, overruled the preliminary objection, paving the way for the substantive extradition hearing to proceed.
The ruling comes after Abu Trica was re-arrested by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) following the withdrawal of earlier local charges against him and his co-accused.
US authorities have accused Kumi, also known by aliases such as Emmanuel Kojo Baah Obeng, of being part of a criminal network that used artificial intelligence and false identities to build romantic relationships with victims online before defrauding them.