#FixTheCountry convener charged with treason felony
Court denies Oliver Barker bail
Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe, has described the continuous detention of #FixTheCountry lead convener, Oliver Mawuse Barker Vormawor as shameful.
Oliver Barker Vormawor has been in custody since his arrest on Friday, February 11, 2022, and has made two court appearances at the Ashaiman District Court where he has been charged with treason felony.
The court on both occasions has denied him bail, citing its lack of jurisdiction, relative to the charge pressed against him.
But according to Franklin Cudjoe, the response of the state in pushing for the detention of the accused person is nothing short of shameful.
“I have read the state's reasons for denying Oliver Barker-Vormawor's bail application. SHAMEFUL,” the policy analyst and think tank boss wrote in a Facebook post.
Oliver Barker according to the police showed clear intent to subvert the government and constitution of Ghana when he wrote in a Facebook post that he will “do the coup” himself if parliament goes ahead to pass the proposed 1.5% levy on electronic transactions into law.
Meanwhile, legal representatives of the embattled Oliver Barker have filed a bail application at the High Court to be heard on March 15, 2022.
This was after the Supreme Court had earlier struck out an application by his lawyers asking for the court to determine the eligibility of the Ashaiman District Court to hear his case.
The decision by his lawyers follows advise issued by the Supreme Court bench and Her Ladyship Eleanor Botwe, the Ashaimam District Court Judge who has denied him bail, citing her court’s lack of mandate to grant such a request.
The Attorney General’s Office in response to the application has asked the high court to deny Oliver Barker bail, citing various grounds including none-corporation from the accused.
According to the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, the youth activist has so far not been able to show investigators his place of abode and has also failed to comply with a court order by refusing investigators access to his phone.
“That having regard to the nature of the offence and the punishment which conviction will entail, the applicant, a person with no fixed place of abode in Ghana is not likely to appear to stand trial if granted bail,” the AG argued.
The bail application hearing commenced on Thursday, March 10, 2022, and has been adjourned to Monday, March 14, 2022.
Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe