The Court of Appeal has dismissed an application filed by the Chief Executive Officer of defunct Menzgold Ghana Limited, Nana Appiah Mensah, widely known as NAM1, which sought to cessation his ongoing criminal trial.
The application was filed pending the determination of an appeal challenging a High Court ruling that ordered him to open his defence.
In 2024, the High Court directed Nana Appiah Mensah to open his defence in a criminal case in which he faces multiple charges, including the sale of gold without a license, fraudulent breach of trust, defrauding by false pretence, and money laundering.
His legal team subsequently filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the High Court’s ruling.
Alongside the appeal, they applied to stay proceedings at the High Court pending the outcome of the appeal.
On Monday, May 19, 2025, state prosecutors urged the appellate court to dismiss the application, arguing that it was an attempt to overreach the powers of the court and failed to establish any exceptional circumstances to justify a stay of proceedings.
A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal presided over by Justice Gbiel Suurbaareh and supported by Justices Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe and Christopher Archer, unanimously dismissed the application.
Meanwhile, Frederick Forson, a spokesperson for the aggrieved customers of Menzgold, has welcomed the court’s decision, describing it as a step toward justice.
Nana Appiah Mensah, however, has indicated that he is considering a further appeal to the Supreme Court, based on legal advice from his counsel.