Court sets Feb., 7 to determine Abu Trica's extradition as state discontinues cases against accused persons

The Gbese District court has fixed February 7, 2026, to rule on whether Frederick Kumi, popularly known on social media as Abu Trica should be discharged from ongoing extradition proceedings initiated at the request of the United States government over alleged fraud-related offences.

Abu Trica, a well-known social media personality famed for flaunting an extravagant lifestyle online, is wanted by US authorities for allegedly defrauding victims by false pretence.

He was arraigned before the court under Ghana’s Extradition Act, 1960 (Act 22), to determine whether he should be surrendered to stand trial in the United States

The ruling date was announced after the Republic withdrew charges against the second and third accused persons, Lord Eshun and Bernard Aidoo, who were initially presented as accessories to Kumi in a charge sheet filed on December 12, 2025.

State prosecutors told the court that Eshun and Aidoo were arraigned under section 6 of Act 22 as accessories, but the state now required time to “put its house in order.”

Lawyers for the two welcomed the withdrawal, arguing that their clients had been improperly arraigned without provisional charges.

Following the withdrawal, lawyers for Abu Trica, led by Oliver Barker Vormawor, urged the court to discharge and release his client, contending that the charge sheet accused him of two counts of conspiracy to defraud, which could not stand now that the alleged conspirators had been discharged.

He argued that it was legally impossible to proceed against one person for conspiracy when the identified co-conspirators were no longer before the court, and none were said to be at large.

However, the Attorney-General’s Department opposed the application, stressing that Kumi was not standing trial in Ghana but was before the court strictly for committal proceedings under the extradition framework.

State prosecutors further disclosed that a motion for stay of proceedings pending judicial review had been filed and served on the state, insisting that the court must first deal with all pending applications in line with Act 22 and the applicable extradition treaty.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court declined to immediately discharge Abu Trica and the two others and adjourned the matter, announcing that it would deliver its ruling on February 7, 2026, at 11:30 a.m.