The nine persons who have been accused of plotting to overthrow the government have explained that they bought the guns to protect themselves.
Arguing in support of an application for bail on Monday [November 11, 2019], counsel for the accused persons, Mr Victor Kojoga Adawudu, argued that the court should grant his clients bail because the prosecution did not have any solid case against his clients.
According to him, the facts of the case did not support the charges slapped against his clients.
It was, therefore, his prayer that the accused persons should be admitted to bail while they fight the charges levelled against them.
Entrapment
Mr Adawudu argued that his clients never had the intention to conduct any coup but rather they were entrapped by one Sule, a military officer to procure guns.
Counsel claimed his clients were part of an NGO- Take Action Ghana (TAG) which indulged in social outreaches and activities.
He claimed the group was once attacked on their way from Wa and Sule who was part of the group advised them to buy guns for protection.
He argued that Sule entrapped them to buy the gun and was also the person who made security agencies to arrest his clients
Response
In her response, Ms Hilda Craig , a Senior State Attorney, urged the court to refuse the bail application.
She wondered why an NGO would procure guns for its activities when the right move was for them to report any threat on them to the police.
The Senior State said the activities of the accused were not mere social engagements but the set out to overthrow the government.
She said the prosecution would present its evidence when the trial starts.
It was her argument that investigations were ongoing and the accused would interfere with investigations when granted bail.
The Accra High Court has refused to grant bail to the nine persons accused of plotting to overthrow the government
In a ruling today, the court, presided over by Justice George Buadi, held that the accused persons were not entitled to bail because they had been not been unreasonably detained.
Justice Buadi was of the view that two months in detention on allegations of attempting to overthrow the government could not be described as unreasonable.
He upheld the argument of the prosecution that investigations were still ongoing and the accused persons could interfere with investigations when granted bail at this stage.
“Two months in detention on suspicion of committing treason is not unreasonable,” Justice Buadi held.
Source: Daily Graphic
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When this people were first arrested, they said they have no idea about the weapons and that some people came to set them up. The national security operatives storm the hospital and just went straight to a room and picked up those materials. Lawyer Adawudu was himself promoting this information from one radio station to the other. He should check his posture now and then and he will see the change in he and his clients crumbling under gradually. It is the same style Lawyer Kpebu started pursuing about ACP Agordzo. Appealing to pity and whipping political sentiments but if you check his interview with BBC you see that he is shifting positions and it is downward not victory because they are confronted with evidence. As for the NDC in this matter, it would have been better not to have issued the statement. Just like the Dagbon case they did not only issue a warning and harassment statement but whipped up ethnic sentiments to suggest that Ewes were been targeted by the government. Am sure some NPP in the mind will also say that Ewes were targeting to distabilise the government but that would have been disastrous a path for its commentators and foot soldiers to use for political expediency. It is open secret that no one can succeed in a coup in Ghana considering the international eye and more especially what happened to Yayah Jammeh by ECOWAS., but there are people who take risk because of hatred, anger, resentment, and many others and the objective is just to make a needless point. ISIS and Boko Haram, Al-Qaida etc all knows very well that they will fail in the end but they are still on their mission to satisfy their inordinate desires. If the Ghana government so believe that he has a case against them, he should bring it to court and open court as such and swifly so must this be done. If the lawyers feel their client is innocent, they should defend their clients in open court and let right thinking Ghanaians make the judgement as to whether the state was harassing them or not.
They are just ***barred word***. Who in Ghana will now support a coup? Ghana is now not like '79 and '81. Many people bear weapons now so it is not going to be easy for any soldier or police to easy for any military person to just molest people for the fun of it or to terrorize people to show how superior they are. We have even teenagers carrying guns and people may shoot back when threatened or molested by security personnel. How many people have in their possession illegal AK 47. The time of Rawlings' military style is past and gone. Mark it on the wall.
This TV and radio Lawyer is really funny. First of all is the so called NGO registered.? And did they report the allege attack to the Police.? Concert Lawyer
Legally procured weapons to protect them selves? Oh Lawyer Kojogah?
WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER IMPLEMENTS, THE POWDERED PEPPER, THE KNIVES,THE GRANADES AND THE OTHERS?