Kwame Baffoe, aka Abronye DC (M)
THE BONO Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, popularly called Abronye DC, was yesterday granted GH¢100,000 bail by an Accra Circuit Court over allegations that former President John Mahama was planning to stage a coup.
He was dragged before the court charged with two counts of publication of false news and offensive conduct conducive to breach of peace, to which he pleaded not guilty.
The NPP bigwig, during a radio programme on Accra-based Hot FM, had alleged that the former President had hired Al-Qaeda militants to stage a coup in Ghana.
He was subsequently invited by the police to assist with investigations into the veracity of the claims which he refused to retract, after the host of the show drew his attention to its consequences.
His lawyer, Anthony Namong, prayed the court to grant him a self-recognisance bail pending the trial, indicating that the accused is well-known and therefore, will show up for the trial.
He said the accused person will not do anything to interfere with police investigations, adding that he has a fixed place of abode and people of substance who were willing to stand as sureties for him.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Dennis Terkpetey, said they were not opposed to the grant of bail but prayed the court to set conditions that will compel the accused to show up for the trial.
The court, presided over by Her Honour Adelaide Abui Keddy, granted the accused a bail of GH¢100,000 with two sureties.
The sureties are to deposit their passports with the registrar of the court until otherwise ordered.
The case was adjourned to March 9, 2022.
The accused was accompanied by leading members of the NPP including National Chairman, Freddie Blay; General Secretary, John Boadu; and the National Youth Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye, among other party members.
Brief Facts
The brief facts of the case presented are that the accused person, on February 14, 2022, on Hot FM morning show dubbed ‘Dwene Wo Biom’ claimed that Mr. Mahama has met with Al-Qaeda militants to stage a coup in Ghana.
The facts state that the host of the programme, Isaac Boamah Darko tried to let the accused retract the pronouncement but he refused and insisted that he knew what he was talking about.
“As the accused refused to retract the statement, the host also issued a disclaimer that, the radio station will not be responsible for the inflammatory statements made by the accused person on his show,” the facts say.
The facts sheet indicated that the accused was invited by the police on February 15, following the pronouncements and he was subsequently arrested for investigation.
“In his investigation caution statement to the Police, the accused stated that, one Mawuse Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a former presidential staffer in the former president’s regime made coup statements but the former president did not condemn him and rather condemned the Police for his arrest. That, the accused further justified his statement he made on the radio that it was in response to the actions of the former president,” the prosecution added.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak