By Amoako Kwame
The lawyer for Ghanaian socialite Frederick Kumi, popularly known as Abu Trica, has accused the State of frustrating efforts by the defense to access his client before he was extradited to the United States, arguing that the circumstances undermined his client’s right to a fair legal process.
In a statement posted on X and Facebook detailing events leading up to the extradition, Oliver Barker-Vormawor said the defense repeatedly sought access to Kumi but was unable to locate him despite contacting several state institutions responsible for his custody.
According to Barker-Vormawor, the defense informed the court that it had written to the Attorney-General requesting permission to meet Abu Trica, but the request was never granted. He said efforts to establish his whereabouts through the Interpol Division of the Ghana Police Service, which had previously held him in custody, were unsuccessful.
“The Interpol Division told us they did not have him in their custody,” Barker-Vormawor stated, adding that attempts to reach the lawyer representing the Attorney-General also yielded no response despite confirmation that the message had been delivered.
The lawyer further claimed that while the court had convened proceedings to determine whether the defense should be granted access to their client, Abu Trica had already been removed from the country.
“If it is so, then let this Court weigh the hour. At sixteen minutes past nine, as this Court had convened us to consider whether a detained man might be permitted to see his lawyers, that man, if the report is true, he was already above the clouds and already beyond our borders,” he said.
Barker-Vormawor argued that the hearing, which had been scheduled to allow the State to respond to the defense’s application, was effectively rendered meaningless because the extradition had allegedly already been executed.
“The hearing this Court fixed, in fairness, so that the State could be heard, was overtaken by the very party for whose benefit it was fixed,” he added.
According to the lawyer, the defense has asked the court to adjourn proceedings to enable it to pursue an application seeking a referral of constitutional issues arising from the case to the Supreme Court.
He also disclosed that, prior to the extradition, the court had exercised restraint by directing the defense to make further private efforts to obtain access to Abu Trica through the Attorney-General’s Office, with an indication that the court would issue an order compelling access if those efforts proved unsuccessful.
Following the court’s directive, Barker-Vormawor said members of the defense team went to the Attorney-General’s Office in search of the lawyer handling the case but were unable to locate him.
Abu Trica was extradited to the United States on Thursday after the High Court in Accra approved a request by US authorities for his surrender. He is expected to face charges relating to an alleged $8 million international romance fraud scheme.
The Attorney-General’s Office and other state authorities had not publicly responded to Barker-Vormawor’s allegations at the time of publication.
Under Ghanaian and US law, the allegations against Abu Trica remain before the courts, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.