The Court of Appeal has ruled that investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas must testify in public without his trademark mask in the ongoing trial of Kwesi Nyantakyi.The decision, made on Thursday, January 30, 2025, was reached unanimously by a panel of three judges—Justices Anthony Oppong, Ackaah Boafo, and Aboagye Tandoh. They stated that Anas could not give evidence while hiding his face.

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Justice Ackaah Boafo, who delivered the ruling, explained that an accused person’s right to a fair trial is more important than the state’s arguments for witness protection.

court stressed that Nyantakyi has the right to see and challenge the person testifying against him.The Court of Appeal also criticized the High Court for reconsidering the state’s request to allow Anas to testify in

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disguise. It ruled that the High Court should have followed an earlier Supreme Court decision on the same issue instead of revisiting 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," the ruling stated.

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This ruling means that Anas, who is famous for his undercover investigations, must appear in court without his signature hood when testifying against former Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kwesi Nyantakyi.Nyantakyi is on trial over allegations of corruption that were revealed in Anas' 2018 Number 12 documentary, which exposed misconduct in Ghanaian football.

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