The Gbese District Court has dismissed a preliminary objection by lawyers for Frederick Kumi, also known as Abu Trica, allowing extradition proceedings against him to continue.
Abu Trica is being sought by authorities in the United States over alleged involvement in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, in what forms part of a wider crackdown on transnational financial crimes.
His legal team, led by Oliver Barker-Vormawor, argued that the offences cited do not fall within the scope of the 1931 extradition treaty between Ghana and the United States. They maintained that the treaty does not expressly list wire fraud or money laundering as extraditable offences and that its provisions should not be extended using more recent local laws.
The defence also contended that the conspiracy clauses within the treaty do not apply to the charges brought against their client.
The court, however rejected the objection, paving the way for the extradition process to proceed.
