The High Court has directed Nana Appiah Mensah, popularly known as NAM 1, Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Menzgold Company Limited, to file his witness statement by February 9, 2026, after attempting to give oral testimony in his ongoing criminal trial.
NAM 1 is facing multiple charges, including defrauding by false pretence, money laundering, and operating a gold-trading business without a licence. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains on bail.
The directive was issued on Monday, February 2, 2026, when NAM 1 appeared before the court to open his defence, following the Supreme Court’s dismissal of his application seeking to overturn an earlier High Court ruling.
Counsel for NAM 1, Emmanuel Amoakohene, informed the court that his client had withdrawn a pending judicial review application before the Supreme Court and subsequently requested that a related application to stay proceedings at the High Court be struck out.
“We scheduled a motion to stay proceedings before you today. That application has, however, been rendered nugatory following the withdrawal of the substantive application before the Supreme Court. We seek your leave to have our pending application struck out as withdrawn,” he stated.
The prosecution, led by Senior State Attorney Watkins Adama, did not oppose the request, prompting the court to strike out the application.
Taking the witness stand, NAM 1 told the court that Menzgold had lawfully obtained operational licences from the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) after undergoing a rigorous vetting process.
“The company applied to PMMC, completed the relevant documentation, paid the fees, and went through internal screening before being issued a licence to operate,” he testified.
He further explained that Menzgold later applied to the Minerals Commission after the government restructured PMMC’s mandate, redefining it as a national assay office rather than a licensing authority.
“We followed due process, submitted a comprehensive business profile, paid the required fees, and eventually received approval to operate,” he added.
