The Appeal Court Has Ordered Anas To Testify In Court Without His Mask

The Court of Appeal has instructed investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas to testify without his mask. The decision was made by a panel of judges, including Justices Anthony Oppong, Ackaah Boafo, and Aboagye Tandoh, on Thursday, January 30, 2025. They unanimously ruled that Anas could not testify with his face concealed.

In his ruling, Justice Ackaah Boafo emphasized that the accused person’s right to a fair trial takes priority over the state’s witness protection rules.

The court ruled that, in a criminal trial, the accused has the fundamental right to see and confront their accuser. The Court of Appeal also criticized the High Court’s decision to reconsider the state’s request for Anas to testify under assumed pretenses.

The court concluded that the High Court should not have entertained a second application on the same issue, as it was bound by a prior Supreme Court decision. The ruling emphasized that the doctrine of *stare decisis* requires lower courts to adhere to higher court decisions, and as such, the High Court erred in revisiting a matter already settled by the Supreme Court.

As a result, Anas, renowned for his undercover investigations, will be required to testify in court without his signature hood in the case against former Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi. The charges against Nyantakyi stem from Anas’ 2018 *Number 12* documentary, which exposed alleged corruption in Ghanaian football.