Destabilisation plot: Eight accused persons unable to meet bail conditions
Lawyers for the ten persons standing trial for high treason for their alleged attempt to destabilise the country have expressed doubts in the ability of most of their clients to meet the bail conditions.
Lawyers for the ten persons standing trial for high treason for their alleged attempt to destabilise the country have expressed doubts in the ability of most of their clients to meet the bail conditions.
Eight of them were granted bail to the tune of two million Ghana cedis each with two sureties to be justified while the other two, ACP Benjamin Agordzo and Colonel Samuel Kojo Gameli were granted bail to the tune of one million Ghana cedis each with two sureties to be justified.
The accused persons are still in police custody since the bail conditions are yet to be met.
One of the lawyers defending the suspects, Victor Adawudu, has said most of the accused persons will remain in police custody as they are struggling to meet the conditions.
“We were a little surprised that our clients were rearrested after going through all the processes for almost a year to get bail, only to get home and have [security agencies] coming to charge them for high treason, based on the same facts, the same evidence.”
He explained that although his clients have been granted bail, they couldn’t go through the processes because the agencies to validate their bail conditions did not work on Saturday, the day the bail was granted by the court.
“We will get in touch with the family, and we will start the process but as we speak none of them has been able to execute the process, but I think that as ordinary Ghanaian citizens, it will be difficult for them to execute this bail,” he said.
Agordzo, nine others plead not guilty
ACP Agordzo and nine others over the weekend pleaded not guilty to charges of abetment of high treason, conspiracy to commit high treason, and high treason.
The prosecution, led by the Attorney General entered a nolle prosequi – a decision to no longer prosecute – in the previous case for which a jury had been selected and slapped the accused with fresh charges of high treason and conspiracy to commit high treason.
The ten were rearrested on Friday, April 23, 2021, by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) and arraigned before an Accra High Court.
The lawyers for the accused prayed the court to grant their clients bail.
Godfred Dame, who did not oppose the bail application, however, asked the court to make the bail conditions severe, should the application be granted.
All the accused persons are said to belong to a group called Take Action Ghana.
In June 2018, security agencies picked up intelligence of the group’s alleged plan to overthrow the government and usurp executive powers.
Source: Citinewsroom
