Alleged Coup plotters fight for bail again

Seven persons accused of being part of an alleged coup plot have made a third attempt to get bail.

The seven are part of a group of 10 who have been accused of being members of Take Action Ghana (TAG), a group alleged to have hatched a plan to “destabilise the country and possibly take over the government”.

Other alleged members of the group are Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Benjamin Agordzo, Warrant Officer II Esther Saan Dekuwine and Bright Alan Debrah, a civilian

The seven — Dr Frederick Mac-Palm, Donyo Kafui, Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Lance Corporal (L/Cpl) Ali Solomon, L/Cpl Sylvester Akanpewon and Gershon Akpah, a weapons mechanic with the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have filed an application for bail at the Accra High Court.

Their lawyers were expected to move the motion for bail yesterday but it turned out that the Attorney–General’s Department had not received all the documents for it to respond to the bail application.

The court, presided over by Justice Ruby Quaison, therefore, adjourned the case to Thursday, February 13, 2020.

Fight for bail
Lawyers for the seven accused have already made two unsuccessful attempts to get bail.

In November last year, an Accra High Court, presided over by Justice George Buadi, refused to admit them to bail, on the basis that per the allegations leveled against them, their two-months detention was reasonable.

The presiding judge was of the view that conspiracy to commit treason and treason were serious offences and, therefore, it was not unreasonable for the state to detain them for two months as investigations continued.

ACP Dr Agordzo and WO II Dekuwine have, however, been granted bail following successful bail application by their respective lawyers.

Alleged plot
Prosecutors have accused the nine of being part of a group known as TAG, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) which is alleged to have planned to embark on demonstrations against the government and “possibly take over the government”.

It is also the case of the prosecution that a map found in the possession of the accused persons showed some important state installations, such as the Jubilee House, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Burma Camp, the 37 Military Hospital and the National Police Training School, which it had targeted.