Coup plot: ACP Agordzo, nine others charged with treason granted GH¢18 million bail

ACP Benjamin Agordzo and nine other accused persons charged with high treason have been granted a two-million-cedi bail.

The punishment for high treason is death.

The rest of the accused persons are Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, Dr Frederick Mac-Palm, Donya Kafui, Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu, Johannes Zikpi, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon and Warrant Officer (II) Esther Saan Dekuwine.

The other charges on them include abetment to treason felony and treason felony, which carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Lawyers for the accused persons prayed the court to grant their clients bail, but the Attorney General (AG), Godfred Yeboah Dame, who was representing the state objected to it.

The AG had earlier entered into a nolle prosequi implying that the state was no longer going to prosecute the previous case.

The accused persons were brought back to court Saturday, April 24, for which they were slapped with fresh charges of high treason and conspiracy to commit high treason.

The case is before a three-member panel of the Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Afia Serwaah Asare-Botwe.

ACP Dr. Agordzo and Colonel Samuel Gameli, who were charged with abetment of high treason, were each granted bail in the sum of GH¢1 million with two sureties, one to be justified.

The rest of the accused persons charged with high treason and conspiracy to commit high treason, were also granted bail in the sum of GH¢2 million each with two sureties to be justified.

On Saturday morning, Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame told the High Court the 10 accused persons are part of a group known as Take Action Ghana (TAG), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) which is alleged to have planned to embark on demonstrations against the government and “possibly take over the government.”

As part of their plot, the AG alleged that Dr Mac-Palm, who is accused of being the mastermind of the plot, along with Kafui and Debrah planned kidnapping the President, Vice-President, Speaker of Parliament and the Chief of the Defence Staff and force the President to announce his overthrow.

The AG added that a map found in the possession of the accused persons showed some important state installations such as the Jubilee House, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Burma Camp, 37 Military Hospital and the National Police Training School, which they had targeted.

ACP Dr Agordzo, Godfred Yeboah Dame disclosed, donated GH¢2,000 to TAG to aid its cause. He also drafted a speech for Dr Mac-Palm to be read at the planned demonstration by TAG.

The AG noted that his office has already filed documents to discontinue the treason felony case and rather push for High treason which he said is the highest crime that can ever be committed by any person in the country.

He explained, 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," the AG was quoted in a Citinews report monitored by GhanaWeb.

“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.”