The Hohoe Magistrate’s Court has granted bail to Henry Deditey, a retired teacher, for building without a development permit.

Mr Deditey pleaded not guilty to the charge and would reappear on June 4, this year. Madam Edith Lucy Dzormeku, the presiding judge, granted the bail in the sum of GH¢3,000 with two sureties.

The sureties are to be justified and "are to be of substance." Prosecuting, Mr Frank Azila-Gbettor, the Chief Environmental Health Assistant at the Hohoe Municipal Assembly, told the Court that the accused was a retired teacher and resided at Hohoe.

He said on February 6, 2019, the Hohoe Municipal Development Control Task force, on official duty to check development projects in the town, visited Gbi Atabu, off the Fodome road.

The Task Force realised that the accused was putting up a dwelling place on a marshy area, which was zoned for agricultural use.

Mr Azila-Gbettor said Deditey was asked to stop work and produce a permit within two weeks but he refused. He said on November 18, 2019, the Taskforce went back to the site and asked the workers to stop work, in addition to a final stop work warning notice issued to the accused, but the accused refused and continued building.

The Prosecutor said anytime there was a downpour, the whole area got flooded posing a risk to life and property. He prayed the court to put an injunction on the construction until the case was determined.

Mr Azila-Gbettor also pleaded with the Court to compel the accused to demolish the structure from the marshy area to promote agricultural production.