Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kwesi Nyantakyi, has been discharged by an Accra High Court after a prolonged five-year trial that ended without the prosecution presenting a single witness.
The ruling, delivered on Thursday by Her Ladyship Justice Marie-Louise Simmonds, came after the prosecution failed to secure testimony from any of its five listed witnesses.
Notably, investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, whose 2018 exposé “Number 12” triggered the case, declined to testify without being permitted to wear a mask—an unusual request the court rejected.
The case, which stemmed from allegations of corruption in Ghanaian football, resulted in Nyantakyi’s resignation from his GFA post, his removal from FIFA’s Executive Council, and a lifetime football ban—later reduced to 15 years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The court’s decision was influenced by a January 30, 2025, Court of Appeal ruling emphasizing an accused person’s right to a fair and timely trial.
With five years elapsed and no evidence presented, Justice Simmonds determined there was no legal basis for the trial to continue.
Despite the discharge, Nyantakyi remains banned from football until 2033 under the existing FIFA sanction, leaving uncertainty about his future in sports administration.
The ruling brings the high-profile case to a close but is expected to spark debate on the justice system’s handling of the trial and its impact on Ghanaian football.
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
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