ACP Benjamin Agordzo and nine others are facing prosecution for what is believed to have been their attempt to destabilize the country in 2019.
The ennead, Dr Mac Palm, Donyo Kafui, Bright Alan Debrah, Johannes Zikpi, WO II Esther Saan, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Corporal Ali Solomon, Colonel Samuel Kojo Gameli and Sylvester Akankpewu faced the Financial Court 2 on Saturday, April 24 and were slapped with new charges including high treason.
A day before that, the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) re-arrested the accused persons and slapped them with the fresh charges.
Reacting to the update on the case, the lawyer and former MP insisted that it has taken “too long” for this case to be completed.
“On the issue of Agordzo and co, I think that the Attorney General should expedite action on the matter. This matter has taken too long. Initially, the charges were a bit ridiculous, but he has changed it to high treason. High treason is a creation of the constitution and any person seeking to overthrow the constitution commits that crime. So let’s see what evidence he has got because that has a dire consequence for this country,” he said.
In the meantime, they have been granted bail to the tune of GHs2,000,000 each by the Accra High Court, during which Attorney General, Godfred Dame, gave explanations on why the charges were reviewed.
According to him, the new charges “clearly fit” the offences the defendants are being accused of committing.
“I think the point must be made that the Attorney General’s power to continue all criminal prosecutions is unfettered and the Supreme Court has said so clearly. Of course, that is not to suggest that the AG will be exercising that power at any point in time unjustifiably.
“So, in the exercise of that power, I discontinued the earlier criminal matter, and they have been properly arraigned before the court for the offence of high treason. And we think that the offence of high treason clearly fits the acts they have committed, and we are ready to prosecute them for those charges,” he explained.
Inusah Fuseini said that with such interest in the case, it should be expedited for the country's gain.
Inusah Fuseini is a former MP for Tamale Central