The Accra Excessive Court docket has remanded New Patriotic Get together (NPP) Bono regional chairman Kwame Baffoe, popularly often known as Abronye DC, to police custody for failing to adjust to bail circumstances requiring him to submit his passport to the court docket’s registry.
On Thursday (4 June 2026), the court docket presided over by Decide Halima El Arawa Abdul Bassit ordered that Avronye stay in custody till he surrenders his passport, after rejecting an software to switch his bail circumstances.
The court docket rejected the applying, discovering that the defendant had didn’t adjust to sure orders issued when he was granted bail, and stated his conduct was a “clear contempt” of the court docket.
“The court docket issued a particular order directing the applicant to deposit the passport with the court docket’s register. The applicant didn’t adjust to the order by claiming that the passport was within the custody of the British Excessive Fee. This quantities to gross contempt of the court docket’s order and this court docket won’t tolerate this,” Justice Abdulbasit stated.
The defendant is on trial for publishing false information and offensive conduct leading to a breach of the peace.
The costs relate to statements he allegedly made about circuit court docket judges, which prosecutors argue are false and more likely to trigger public dissatisfaction with the judiciary.
Utility for change of bail quantity
The defendant’s lawyer, Daniel Marty Addo, had prayed the court docket to vary the bail circumstances requiring his shopper to deposit his passport with the court docket registry.
The lawyer moved the applying and stated the passport was now within the custody of the British Excessive Fee in Ghana and that he had submitted a receipt acknowledging receipt of his journey paperwork.
He acknowledged that the passport was not deposited with the court docket as directed, however stated the explanations for this had been defined in a supplementary affidavit filed in help of the applying.
Mr Addoh additionally stated Mr Avronje was scheduled to renew his research within the UK on June 14 this yr, and requested the court docket to consider what he referred to as his shopper’s instructional rights.
He additionally submitted that the defendant might must journey for well being causes and prayed that the court docket grant the applying.
Prosecutors are in opposition to
Prosecutors, led by Chief State’s Legal professional Joshua Sackey, opposed the applying and requested the court docket to disclaim it.
Mr Sackey argued that the circumstances hooked up to the bail granted by the court docket had been obligatory and that the defendant had didn’t adjust to them.
He stated the order granting Avronye bail explicitly required him handy over his journey paperwork to the court docket’s registrar and to not journey outdoors the jurisdiction with out the court docket’s permission.
He argued that the passport ought to have been deposited within the registry earlier than the bail circumstances might be stated to have been correctly complied with.
Prosecutors informed the court docket that Mr Avronye was granted bail on Might 21, 2026, however receipts submitted by the protection present that the British Excessive Fee solely acquired the passport on Might 25, 2026, 4 days after the court docket granted bail.
“This exhibits that the applicant had his passport in his custody on Might 21, however refused to give up it to the registrar of the court docket as a part of his bail circumstances,” he submitted.
Mr. Sackey additional argued that the defendant’s proper to schooling was not violated as a result of the defendant might ask the court docket for permission to journey if essential.
He additionally prayed that the court docket be directed handy over the passport to the accused instantly after the Excessive Commissioner points it.
background
Avronje was granted bail on Might 21, 2026 within the sum of Giga Francs 100,000 with two sureties for good trigger.
As a part of his bail circumstances, he was ordered to report back to Legal Investigation Division (CID) headquarters as soon as each two weeks, submit his journey paperwork to the court docket’s register and never journey outdoors the jurisdiction with out the court docket’s permission.
