Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, has expressed strong reservations about the court decision that led to his remand in the custody of the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI), saying he was not given the opportunity to respond to the concerns that informed the ruling.
After appearing in court on Monday, Abronye said he was particularly troubled by the judge’s conclusion that granting him bail would likely result in further offences being committed, a decision that was made without hearing from him.
“Looking at the decision of the court, I was very surprised to the extent that the judge would conclude that if I am admitted to bail, I will commit further offences,” he said. “Even let’s assume that there was some evidence before him — he could have afforded me the opportunity to respond, but the judge did not give me that opportunity.”
While acknowledging that the granting or refusal of bail is a discretionary power of the court, Mr Baffoe argued that such discretion must be exercised in line with established legal principles and the facts before the court.
Following the remand order, his legal team approached the High Court with a fresh bail application, which was granted. Monday’s court appearance centred on an application to vary the conditions attached to that bail. The matter was adjourned to Tuesday.
On his earlier absence from the jurisdiction, Mr Baffoe said the trial judge had been fully informed of his health condition and was aware of his return to Ghana. He said he and his lawyers had appeared before the court to formally notify it of his availability to continue participating in proceedings in which the Inspector General of Police is the complainant.
Though stopping short of attributing the remand decision to political interference, the NPP executive described it as a poor judicial outcome that needed to be corrected.
“I will not say that the ruling that landed me in BNI custody is a political ruling. But once we are still fighting to have that decision set aside, I think it’s one of the bad decisions in our judicial record,” he said, adding that his lawyers were actively pursuing legal remedies to have it overturned.
Background
Mr Baffoe, one of the most prominent regional executives of the NPP, has in recent years been involved in several legal disputes arising from public statements and political commentary.
His latest court appearance follows legal proceedings linked to a case in which the Inspector General of Police is cited as the complainant.
The matter has attracted considerable public attention because of Mr Baffoe’s high-profile role within the opposition NPP and his frequent participation in national political debates.
The court is expected to continue hearing the matter following its adjournment, while his legal team pursues efforts to review and vary aspects of the bail arrangements granted by the High Court.
