An Accra High Court has discharged nine persons who were arrested and put before it for allegedly calling for the secession of the Volta Region and the Eastern Corridor from Ghana.
This follows a decision by the Office of the Attorney General to withdraw the case against the accused persons.
Appearing before the court presided over by three judges, Winnifred Sarpong, a senior state attorney told the court that they have been instructed to withdraw the case against the nine.
The panel presided over by Justice Jerome Noble Nkrumah with Justices Ekow Baiden and Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe struck out the case as withdrawn and discharged the accused persons.
Arrest.
Eight members of Ho based Homeland Study Group Foundation were initially arrested on May 5, 2019 by a combined military and police team recently in Ho where they were said to be holding a secret meeting to carry out their nefarious activities.
They were flown to Accra and later put before an Accra High Court on the charge of treason.
Other charges include abetment of unlawful assembly and offensive conduct conducive to the breach of peace.
They were said to have in their possession a constitution, as well as an emblem which they intend to use for their new country.
They included leader of the group Charkes Kudjordji, Bisa Akorli, 54; Kofi Dzreke, 39; Thompson Tsigbe, 58; Benjamin Agbadzada, 48;Agbenyega Akudzi, 54; Freemen Blikaku, 36; and Nkpe Tsryiri Kudzo, 61.
A military officer based in the Volta regional Capital, Ho was later arrested and put before the court for aiding members of the group.
Sergeant Kpogli Samuel Kwabla was alleged to have leaked information to members of the group, who were in a meeting to allegedly plan to declare independence on May 5 and hide their weapons due to a pending search by a joint police and military team.
They were all granted a bail of GH¢800,000 each while the state prepared to prove its case.
They were to provide two sureties each, one to be justified.
As part of the bail conditions, the investigator was to verify the physical locations of all the accused persons, as well as the sureties before the bail band is executed.
Again, the accused persons were to report to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) every Monday and Thursday until otherwise ordered.
Founder and leader of the group, 85-year-old retired educationist, Charles Kormi Kudjordji, was earlier been granted bail in the sum of GH?250,000 with two sureties, one to be justified.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak