Gregory Afoko is a political prisoner – James Agalga

General News of Monday, July 15, 2019

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

2019-07-15

James Agalga, Member of Parliament for Builsa North, said that the current turnaround in the case of Gregory Afoko is a deliberate attempt by the state to defeat the process of granting release. under caution.

He added that the main suspect in the badbadination of the former president of the new Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Upper East, Adams Mahama, is now a political prisoner.

The High Court of Accra, presided over by Judge George Buadi in March this year, took cognizance of the arguments that allowed Afoko to be released on bail of an amount of 500 000 GH ¢ with two bonds, including one to justify.

But for more than four months, the state ignored the order and twice tried to have the decision annulled, both in the High Court and in the Court of Appeal, both of which failed.

However, on Monday, July 15, 2019, a high court in Accra rescinded its decision to grant the suspect's provisional release.

James Agalga, Builsa North MP, said Gregory Afoko's case was clearly political.

"From the first day, the state's attitude was very appalling given the granting of bail to Gregory Afoko. They continued to resist granting bail and used every possible means to impede the process of granting this release. I think Gregory Afoko is now a political prisoner and it's very unfortunate, "he said.

He also wished to know in which capacity the court was sitting to rule on the question of which application had been previously broken by the court of appeal.

"The high court has a coordinated jurisdiction that is a fact, but when a high court has ruled and rendered a decision regarding bail, the same procedure is used and the motions are repeated before the court of appeal for attempt to obtain the cancellation of the release orders, the court of appeal says no, then you come back now and submit a motion to quash the bail orders issued by a high court, then in what capacity did the other high court sit and decide on the matter. Did he then act as a court of appeal or what?

"… I think it's clearly a case of abuse of the procedures provided by law, which is to deny a bail to a citizen of that country then that the facts are so compelling that the state should have released Libory on bail. There is no justification, "he continued. Mr. Agalga added that the president had failed because the rule of law no longer worked in this country.

"The rule of law no longer works in this country. President Nana Addo, who has already been taunted as a defender of human rights, has completely lost her head. Today, in this country, the fundamental rights of citizens have been violated. That's why I say Gregory Afoko is a political prisoner, "he said.

Arrest and judgment

Gregory Afoko was arrested in May 2015 for allegedly pouring acid on the regional president of the NPP Upper East East, which resulted in his untimely death.

He allegedly plotted with Asabke Alangdi, who had just been arrested in his lair in Ivory Coast to commit this heinous crime.

He has been in custody since his arrest and his solicitor's bail solicitation has proven fruitless several times until March of this year.