Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and Deputy Communications Officer, Kwaku Boahen have been granted bail of GHC 100,000 with one surety in the case of conspiracy to cause harm.
The two appeared before an Accra High Court Tuesday April 16 to respond to questions about a leaked tape allegedly involving them.
The prosecution team was represented by Attorney General Gloria Akuffo and her Deputy Joseph Dindiok-Kpemka as against the defence counsels representing Mr. Ofosu Ampofo; Tony Lithur and Dominic Ayine
Mr. Boahen on the other hand had Dr. Basit Aziz, Edudzi Tamakloe and Baba Jamal representing him.
The Chairman was slapped with counts of assault on Public officer and conspiracy to commit crime was handed Kwaku Boahen.
Presiding Judge, Justic Samuel Asiedu granted both accused persons bail of
GHC 100,000 with one surety each.
Accompanied by other party officials including General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Joyce Bawa and others, the team joined the Chairman and Communications Officer for his first hearing in the case involving the said audio.
The case has since been adjourned to 6th of May 2019.
Background
A leaked audio purported to be the voice of Mr Ofosu-Ampofo in a meeting with NDC communicators had him saying: “We’re going to take her [Chairperson of the Electoral Commission] to the cleaners.”
“As for the EC Chair, we must wage a relentless war on this EC Chair. Me, she doesn’t want to see my face,” Mr Ofosu-Ampofo is alleged to have said.
In the audio, he also gave his blessing to the party communicators to insult the Most Rev. Professor Emmanuel Asante, the Chairman of the National Peace Council.
“For the first time, I’ll endorse insulting the National Peace Council Chair,” he said.
The alleged meeting between Mr Ofosu-Ampofo and NDC communicators was aimed at planning strategies ahead of the 2020 general election.
When the issue of the leaked tape went viral, the NDC described it as concocted and false.
A statement signed by Mr Gyamfi and released by the party dismissed the authenticity of the said tape and accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and some members of the government of being the masterminds behind the tape.
The NDC, therefore, urged the public to disregard the said audio, which had gone viral, and “treat all of its content with the contempt it deserves”.
Subsequently Mr. Ampofo after reporting to the CID for investigations was formally arrested and was charged accordingly with a threat of harm, conspiracy to harm a public officer and proceeded to write his statement.
After that, he was granted bail in the sum of Gh¢400,000 with two sureties.
Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and John Dramani Mahama