{"id":16690,"date":"2026-04-21T12:41:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T12:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/?p=16690"},"modified":"2026-04-21T12:41:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T12:41:07","slug":"high-court-stays-proceedings-in-mustapha-hamids-osp-trial-awaiting-decision-on-prosecutorial-authority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/?p=16690","title":{"rendered":"High Court Stays Proceedings in Mustapha Hamid\u2019s OSP Trial Awaiting Decision on Prosecutorial Authority"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A High Court has declined an application to discharge Former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority, Mustapha Hamid, and his co-accused in a case brought by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, despite arguments challenging the OSP\u2019s authority to prosecute.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the court adjourned the matter to May 26, 2026, effectively keeping the trial in abeyance as wider legal questions over the OSP\u2019s constitutional mandate continue to unfold.<\/p>\n<p>The accused persons had asked the court to strike out the case entirely, relying on a recent April 15, 2026, High Court ruling that declared all OSP prosecutions null and void on constitutional grounds.<\/p>\n<p>But lawyers for the OSP opposed the application, insisting that the office still retains valid prosecutorial powers under its establishing laws, which remain in force and have not been overturned.<\/p>\n<p>The presiding judge noted that the legal questions surrounding the OSP\u2019s authority are currently being litigated in multiple courts and said it would be premature to make a final determination at this stage.<\/p>\n<p>The adjournment means the case \u2014 formally Republic v. Mustapha Hamid &amp; Others \u2014 will remain unresolved until at least late May, when further clarity is expected on the broader constitutional dispute.<\/p>\n<p>The development comes amid a wider legal battle over the powers of the OSP, including a pending Supreme Court case filed by private legal practitioner Noah Adamtey (J1\/3\/2026), which seeks to challenge the constitutionality of the office\u2019s prosecutorial mandate.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the NPP Minority in Parliament has also called for the OSP to appeal the earlier ruling and for expedited determination of the Supreme Court matter, arguing that the uncertainty is undermining anti-corruption enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>The OSP, established as an independent anti-corruption agency, has in recent months become a focal point of legal and political debate following conflicting court decisions over the scope of its powers.<\/p>\n<p>The next hearing in the Mustapha Hamid case is set for May 26, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h6><strong><em>Disclaimer: The content provided on Fish FM Online is for informational and entertainment purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, we do not guarantee the completeness, reliability, or timeliness of the information presented. Fish FM Online and its affiliates are not responsible for any errors or omissions, nor for any decisions made based on the content available on our platform.<\/em><\/strong><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A High Court has declined an application to discharge Former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority, Mustapha Hamid, and his co-accused in a case brought by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, despite arguments challenging the OSP\u2019s authority to prosecute. Instead, the court adjourned the matter to May 26, 2026, effectively keeping the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123457,"featured_media":16691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[5267,2031],"class_list":["post-16690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-news","tag-mustapha-hamids","tag-osp-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/123457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16690"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16692,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16690\/revisions\/16692"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}