Wontumi TV presenter, Akyenkwaa Nana Kofi Asare, has been denied bail by the Accra Circuit Court after his arrest on Tuesday for making unsubstantiated allegations related to the August 6 Armed Forces helicopter crash.
According to the Counsel for the accused, Enoch Anhwere Afoakwah, the court’s decision to deny the accused bail is a miscarriage of justice.
Speaking to the media outside the court on Thursday August 14, Enoch Anhwere Afoakwah said the grounds upon which the sitting judge refused to grant the accused person bail is not known to the law.
He cited Sections 95(5) and 95(6) of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act to argue that his client fully qualified for bail. “When you clearly read Section 95(5) and Section 95(6), it states that the court must admit a person to bail on the grounds that the accused person will appear to stand trial, anytime, any day that the accused person is called upon,” he said.
According to the lawyer, the presenter met all the requirements, including having reputable sureties. “I noted to the court that Mr. Bernard Antwi Boasiako is a man of substance and sufficient means with proven integrity who is also the shareholder of Wontumi Media, present in court and willing to stand as surety for him. Mr. Gordon Asare Bediako, a renowned broadcast journalist, was also in court and is also willing to post bail for the accused person,” he noted.
Mr. Afoakwah criticised the suggestion that bail might be granted later to ease tensions. “That he’s not granting him bail to calm tempers down. We’re asking, the police is the complainant in this matter, are they angered? Whose tempers are high?” he questioned.
He added, “The Ghana Police Service ought to issue a statement telling us how their tempers are because they are the complainant in this matter.”
He further accused the prosecution of failing to meet legal procedure. “They have not served us with any disclosures. They have not indicated to us that they are proceeding with trial of which they have served us with disclosures as ascribed by the Supreme Court. So, trial has not commenced. So going into the merit of the case amounts to a miscarriage of justice. And the court did so,” he argued.
Mr. Afoakwah revealed that the legal team would take the matter to a higher court. “We are minded to proceed, climb a step further to the High Court to ensure that justice is administered in accordance with law,” he said.
The case has drawn widespread attention due to the sensitive nature of the allegations made by the Wontumi Tv presenter linking the president to the helicopter crash, which claimed the lives of 8 persons and plunging the nation into a state of mourning.
