I will encourage activism but coup is not an option - Judge to Barker-Vormawor

A High Court judge, Justice Daniel Mensah says he will encourage activism but a coup d'etat is not an option in a democracy.

At the Tema High Court on Wednesday [March 16, 2022] where he presided and granted bail to Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a convenor of the #FixTheCountry movement, who has been charged with treason felony at the Ashaiman District Court, Justice Mensah insisted that a coup is never an option in a democracy.

He has therefore, advised Barker-Vormawor not to go to the extent of thinking about a coup d’etat no matter how he feels about a regime.

The Court granted Barker-Vormawor bail in the sum of GH¢2 million with two sureties, one of which is to present documents covering a landed property.

Granting bail, the court said it cannot disable itself from granting the activist bail but had a word of caution for him.

{tweetme}“No matter how we feel about a regime, a coup isn’t an option. I’ll encourage activism but know the extent,” the judge told Oliver Barker-Vormawor.{/tweetme}

The Attorney-General had filed an affidavit opposing Barker-Vormawor's bail application on the grounds that the accused was a flight risk and does not have a fixed abode in Ghana.

But the court said it cannot accept that argument by the Attorney-General.

Barker-Vormawor has also been directed by the court to report to the police once a week while investigations into the case continue.

The court also directed that the police should continue to hold his passport.

Read also: Oliver Barker-Vormawor granted bail

The application for bail at the High Court followed the inability of the Ashaiman District Court, where he has been arraigned on the treason felony charge to grant him bail.

A district court cannot grant bail to a person charged with treason felony unless a higher court.

Read also: Attach seriousness to treason felony charge against Barker-Vormawor - Court to prosecutors

Barker-Vormawor has been in police custody since February 11, 2022, when he was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

He was remanded into police custody when he was first arraigned at the Ashaiman District Court on February 14, 2022, on the charge of treason felony.