The Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has criticised the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) over what he describes as excessive and unfair bail conditions imposed on former Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) Board Chairman, Paul Adom-Otchere.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mr. Assafuah questioned the basis for detaining Mr. Adom-Otchere, arguing that he is not a flight risk and would have honoured any invitation extended to him by the OSP.
“In any case, if Paul Adom-Otchere has committed any crime, how difficult is it for the OSP to find him? That is why there are bail conditions, and our forefathers, in drafting the constitution, thought it wise to include that,” he said.
According to the lawmaker, the conditions—which reportedly include providing two landed properties registered in his name—are unjustified and unnecessarily punitive.
“Paul Adom-Otchere is well known. He hosts a show on Metro TV every Tuesday and Thursday. Bail conditions are meant for people who are likely to flee. Why treat someone who poses no such threat as if he were a petty criminal?” he asked.
Mr. Assafuah further argued that both Mr. Adom-Otchere and his legal team would have willingly appeared before the OSP without the need for harsh restrictions.
“I’m not saying Paul Adom-Otchere shouldn’t be held accountable, but on any day, he or his lawyers would have honoured an invitation from the OSP to respond to the issues,” he noted.
In a pointed remark, Mr. Assafuah likened the current bail demands to an absurd standard.
“If we’re not careful, very soon we’ll be asking for Jesus Christ or Noah’s Ark as bail conditions,” he quipped.
He concluded by urging the OSP to act with fairness and restraint in order to maintain public trust.
Source: Gertrude Otchere
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