The Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, who is also known as Abronye DC, was led to court yesterday in the Ghana Police Service ‘Black Maria’ mobile police cell van amidst a huge expectant crowd.
The surprise for many people was that he alone filled the van that is normally used to take higher numbers of suspects to court.
Abronye DC was arrested on Monday for his response to an invitation by the police following controversial statements he made against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno and the Acting Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Raymond Archer.
His expectation of being granted pre-trial bail and returning home was frustrated by the court, headed by His Honour Samuel Bright Acquah, who remanded him into police custody to enable the police time to investigate further into the case.
Abronye DC has been indicted on one count of publication of false news and a second count of ‘offensive conduct conducive to breaches of the peace.’
He is also said to have made and instigated insulting and abusive remarks against the IGP that, “the present Inspector General of Police (IGP), Tetteh Yohuno has sub-average Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and is the most idiotic IGP Ghana has ever had.” Court papers further claim that the suspect had stated that, “the present Inspector General of Police (IGP), Tetteh Yohuno is the most corrupt IGP Ghana has ever had.”
This is a wicked behavior, the police say, that will likely lead to a breach of peace.
Abronye DC, who was in court wearing a white polo tee and a brown khaki trouser, was serene as the charges were read to the court.
He was not accepted in his plea by the court and no brief fact had been added to the charge sheet before the court.
The prosecution, represented by Chief Inspector Ebenezer Teye Okuffo, and Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer vehemently objected to an oral application by the defence counsel for Abronye DC to be granted bail subject to the completion of investigation.
Chief Inspector Lawer informed the court that it would hamper the prosecution’s power for investigation in the case if Abronye DC was granted bail at this stage of the proceeding.
Accused was arrested on Monday, September 8, yesterday, we do not want to violate the 48-hour rule that is why we have brought him before you (court), so that he may be remanded into custody in order to allow us to conduct serious investigation in the case. For the time being, we are seeking that he be remanded into lawful custody for further investigation,” he appealed to the court.
He also informed the court that Abronye is a flight risk, given that the accused person has written to embassies and High Commissions in Ghana requesting political asylum.
“We are saying that if the accused person is granted bail, fleeing chances are 100 percent. He should be remanded into police custody for us to complete civilly, investigate and arraign him before you.”
Daniel Nii Martey Addo counsel to Abronye persuaded the court to grant the accused bail on the grounds that “he is not and will never be a flight risk within the jurisdiction.”
