ACP Dr Benjamin Agordzo

The General Jurisdiction 4 Division of the High Court will on January 14, 2022, rule on the interdiction of ACP Dr Benjamin Agordzo.

The Senior Police Officer was interdicted two years ago, on November 19, 2019, for his alleged involvement in what is now commonly called the coup plotters case.

His subsequent efforts to have the interdiction revoked went to nought.

His lawyers on April 23, 2020, wrote to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) demanding revocation of the interdiction, which the IGP declined on May 27, 2020.

ACP Dr Agordzo described the interdiction as unlawful and sought judicial review.

He said in his affidavit that his “continuous interdiction is in breach of my right to administrative justice and due process.”

According to him, his “salary was reduced by 25%, and I was relieved of all duties as a police officer.”

He, however, argued that the Police Administration was under obligation to revoke the interdiction after three months if disciplinary proceedings were not initiated against him.”

The presiding judge, Justice Olivia Obeng Owusu, will rely on all the processes filed under the review application to draw up her ruling.

Lawyer for the applicant, Martin Kpebu, promised to help the court with relevant Supreme Court decisions.

At the last court sitting in October, an Accra High Court refused ACP Dr Agordzo’s motion of notice application for an order to travel.

The application was to secure permission from the three-member panel of Justices to enable him to travel to Nairobi, Kenya, as a resource person for the Security Centre Reformed Training.

Moving the motion, Mr Kormivi Dzotsi, ACP Agordzo’s counsel, pleaded with the Court to grant the leave, saying, his wife, sureties and lawyers would be available to monitor the proceedings.

However, the Attorney General opposed the application and said the offence was the highest and could not be dealt with in his absence.

The panel of judges presided over by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, rejected the application and said ACP Agordzo had to report twice per week to the NIB.

Justice Asare-Botwe said he could also not waive attendance, explaining that accused persons were tried in absentia when they refused to attend court, jumped bail or had mental challenges.