Accused granted bail after four years on remand

Asamankese, Jan 19, GNA - Abraham Dorgbadji, who had been in custody a= t the Nsawam Prisons for nearly four years on charges of stealing and threat of harm, was on Wednesday granted bail by the Asamankese Circuit Court. During that period the Police Investigator was transferred and the prosecutor retired.

He last appeared before the court on January 28, 2009 after making his first appearance on March 22, 2007. But when he was put before the court on Wednesday presided over by Mr D. E. K. Daketsey, a lawyer, Mr Isaac Okyere-Darko, acting as a friend of the court, brought the plight of Dorgbadji to the judge's attention. The judge said there was no justification for the accused to be so treated and granted him bail in the sum of GH¢3.000 with one surety. The case for the prosecution was that on or before January 2007 at Putuom village near Akroso, Dorgbadji stole 141 palm trees valued at 14 million cedis at that time, the property of his father, Nii Larweh Dorgbadji. He also threatened the father that he would kill him with a gun if he dared to step in his farm. He pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor said the complainant was the father of Dorgbadji who ha= d an oil palm plantation at Putuom while the accused lived at Atimpoku as a driver. The accused visited his father's plantation and as a result of a misunderstanding between them which later resulted in a fight. During the fight the father inflicted cutlass wounds on the accused an= d the case was brought before a court and the father was later remanded in prison custody at the Nsawam prison. During the period Dorgbadji took advantage and took over the farm, but the father on being released on bail visited the farm and saw that the accused had harvested a number of palm trees and felled some which he had tapped for akpeteshie. The son then threatened the father that if he dared to step on the far= m again he would kill him with a gun and the case was then reported to the police. After the judge had granted bail to the accused he said his father had threatened to kill anyone who would stand surety for him with juju. The father denied the son's allegation prompting the judge to ask th= e father to stand surety for his son and when he agreed, the bail was granted= ..