The Court of Appeal has ruled that investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas must testify in open court without his trademark mask in the ongoing case against former Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kwesi Nyantakyi.
In a unanimous decision on Thursday, January 30, 2025, the panel emphasized that this requirement aligns with the constitutional right of the accused to a fair trial.
Justice Ackaah Boafo, delivering part of the ruling, criticized the High Court for considering Anas’ request to testify in disguise, despite a prior Supreme Court directive on the matter.
“The doctrine of stare decisis binds lower courts to the decisions of higher courts, and as such, the High Court erred in revisiting an issue already settled by the Supreme Court,” he stated.
The three-member panel, comprising Justices Anthony Oppong, Ackaah Boafo, and Aboagye Tandoh, upheld that Anas must appear in person without his mask while giving evidence in the case.
Nyantakyi, the former GFA boss, is facing prosecution based on findings from Anas’ 2018 Number 12 exposé, which captured him allegedly engaging in corrupt dealings.
