The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has raised strong objections over the sudden transfer of a bail application involving its Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, describing the development as suspicious and a deliberate attempt to frustrate justice.
Abronye DC was remanded into custody by the Circuit Court 9 in Accra over allegations of spreading false news. The NPP subsequently filed a motion for bail, which was initially assigned to Criminal Court Two but was later moved to General Jurisdiction Two at the last minute.
Speaking in an interview with JoyNews after the proceedings, NPP General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong said the party was taken aback by the reassignment.
According to him, the party’s lead counsel, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, was informed that the docket had been transferred despite earlier electronic assignment to Criminal Court Two. He described the move as “mind-boggling” and part of what the party sees as “judicial gymnastics” aimed at delaying the process.
Mr Kodua Frimpong questioned the explanation of an administrative error, asking how a case already assigned electronically could be manually reassigned by a registrar.
Despite the setback, he noted that the legal team proceeded to the new court where the matter was heard. The presiding judge directed both parties to study the case and return the following day.
The NPP General Secretary also expressed worry over Abronye DC’s condition, noting that the party was unable to see him in court.
“Unfortunately, they didn’t bring Chairman Abronye to the court. And we are very worried as to his current health status because we didn’t see him,” he stated.
NPP Deputy General Secretary Haruna Mohammed also spoke after the proceedings, cautioning that the handling of the case must be managed carefully to protect the country’s peace and democratic stability. He argued that the treatment meted out to Abronye did not reflect the democratic values the NPP helped build.
Mr Mohammed criticised what he described as selective application of the law, alleging that while NPP members face swift action from bodies like EOCO, similar vigour has not been applied to individuals linked to the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He insisted the party would continue to pursue justice for Abronye DC through the legal system.