In a significant legal development, the Court of Appeal has rejected an application by Nana Appiah Mensah, popularly known as NAM1 and former CEO of the now-defunct Menzgold Ghana Limited, to pause his ongoing criminal trial.
NAM1’s legal team had sought to halt proceedings at the High Court, where he is standing trial on multiple charges including defrauding by false pretence, money laundering, sale of gold without a license, and fraudulent breach of trust. This move came after a 2024 High Court directive ordered him to open his defence.
Challenging that ruling, NAM1’s lawyers filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal and, simultaneously, requested a stay of proceedings at the High Court pending the outcome of the appeal. However, today, May 19, 2025, state prosecutors opposed the request, arguing that it was an attempt to circumvent the trial process and lacked any exceptional justification.
A three-member panel led by Justice Gbiel Suurbaareh, with Justices Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe and Christopher Archer concurring, unanimously dismissed the application.
Spokesperson for the aggrieved Menzgold customers, Frederick Forson, welcomed the ruling, calling it “a step toward justice” for the many who claim to have lost their investments in the collapsed gold dealership.
NAM1’s trial at the High Court is expected to proceed as directed.
