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The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has expressed dissatisfaction over the handling of the bail application involving its Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye, describing the transfer of the case from Criminal Court Two to General Jurisdiction Two as “mind-boggling” and a deliberate attempt to frustrate the process.
Abronye was remanded into BNI custody by Circuit Court 9 in Accra over allegations of spreading false news. The NPP subsequently filed a motion challenging the court’s decision.
Speaking in an interview with JoyNews’ Fatawu Bayaga after the proceedings, NPP General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong said the party was taken aback by the sudden reassignment of the case from the court to which it had initially been allocated.
According to him, the party’s lawyer, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, informed them that the docket had been moved to a different court at the last minute, despite their understanding that it had earlier been assigned to Criminal Court Two.
Mr Kodua Frimpong described the development as “mind-boggling” and alleged that it formed part of what the party considers “judicial gymnastics” aimed at frustrating the bail application process.
He further questioned the explanation that the transfer resulted from an administrative error, asking how a case electronically assigned to one court could later be manually reassigned by a registrar.
Despite their concerns, he said the party’s legal team complied with due process and proceeded to the General Jurisdiction Court, where the matter was eventually heard.
Speaking on Abronye’s condition, Mr Kodua Frimpong expressed concern that the party was unable to see him in court and said they were uncertain about his current health status.
“Unfortunately, they didn't bring Chairman Abronye to the court. And we are very worried as to his current health status because we didn't see him; we came to the court, and we didn't see him,” he stated.
Also speaking after the proceedings, the NPP’s Deputy General Secretary, Haruna Mohammed, cautioned that developments surrounding the case must be handled carefully to avoid undermining the peace and democratic stability of the country.
He argued that the treatment of Abronye did not reflect the democratic principles the NPP helped establish and maintained that the party considered the handling of the matter unjustified.
Mr Mohammed said the presiding judge directed the parties to study the case and return to court the following day, after which the hearing was adjourned.
He insisted that the Attorney General would have no excuse when proceedings resumed and stressed that the party remained committed to pursuing justice for Abronye through the courts.
Mr Mohammed also criticised what he described as inconsistencies in law enforcement, alleging that while directives had been issued in cases involving NPP members, similar action had not been taken against individuals associated with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), including its National Organiser.
He further alleged that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) had acted with “bravado” in previous arrests involving NPP members, in some instances without court orders, while comparable action had not been taken in other politically connected cases.
According to him, recent arrests have disproportionately targeted members of the NPP, raising concerns about fairness and the equal application of the law.
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