Court Discharges Kwesi Nyantakyi in Number 12 Exposé Case

The High Court has officially discharged former Ghana Football Association (GFA) president, Kwesi Nyantakyi, in connection with the ongoing trial linked to the controversial Number 12 exposé. The decision comes after the prosecution failed to present Anas Aremeyaw Anas, the key witness in the case.

Nyantakyi had been facing charges including conspiracy to commit fraud, corruption, and fraud related to his actions captured in the undercover investigative footage. The Number 12 exposé, which aired in 2018, revealed widespread corruption within African football, and Nyantakyi was one of the prominent figures implicated. In the footage, Nyantakyi was seen accepting bribes from an undercover journalist posing as a businessman, while also promising to use his political connections to aid the individual’s business dealings.

The case, however, has been mired in delays, particularly over the matter of whether Anas should testify in court while wearing his signature mask, which he uses to protect his identity. Initially, the High Court ruled that Anas could testify with the mask, but it later reversed that decision following an appeal, instructing that Anas testify without the mask.

On February 13, 2025, when the trial resumed, the prosecution requested a month’s adjournment as they sought advice from the Attorney General, unable to produce Anas in court. Nyantakyi’s defense lawyers, citing the failure to proceed with the case, successfully argued for the charges to be dropped. Consequently, the court discharged Kwesi Nyantakyi from the trial.