The trial of former National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Chief Executive Officer, Mustapha Hamid, and his co-accused in a case prosecuted by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has been put on hold.
A High Court in Accra on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, declined an application by the accused persons to discharge them, instead adjourning the matter to May 26, 2026, pending clarity on the OSP’s prosecutorial authority.
The accused had prayed the court to strike out the case, citing a recent April 15, 2026 ruling by another High Court which declared all OSP prosecutions null and void on constitutional grounds.
However, lawyers for the OSP opposed the application, arguing that the office continues to exercise valid prosecutorial powers under its enabling laws, which have not been set aside.
The presiding judge observed that the constitutional questions regarding the OSP’s mandate are still being contested in various courts, including a pending Supreme Court case, and therefore it would be premature to dismiss the matter at this stage.
The case, officially titled Republic v. Mustapha Hamid & Others, has now been adjourned to May 26, 2026, for further directions.
This development comes on the back of the recent controversy surrounding the powers of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
It follows an earlier High Court decision on April 15, 2026, which nullified OSP prosecutions, a ruling that has sparked intense national debate.
A private legal practitioner, Noah Adamtey, has also filed a suit at the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the OSP’s prosecutorial powers.
The NPP Minority in Parliament has meanwhile urged the OSP to appeal the April 15 ruling and called for an expedited hearing of the Supreme Court case to resolve the uncertainty affecting anti-corruption efforts.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor was established as an independent body to investigate and prosecute high-profile corruption cases.