Dr Obengfo granted bail by Circuit Court

Dr Dominic Kwame Obeng-Andoh, Chief Executive Officer of Obengfu Hospital, who is being held for practising medicine without a license and operating an unlicensed facility, has been granted bail.

Appearing before an Accra Circuit Court on Friday, Dr Obeng-Andoh pleaded not guilty to the two charges.

His appearance followed an order directed at the Greater Accra Hospital Medical Director on June 5, this year, to produce him in court on Friday, June 8.

The hospital in letter indicated that the plastic surgeon could only attend to court with the assistance of his physician.

The court presided over by Mrs Jane Harriet Akweley Quaye admitted Dr Obeng-Andoh to bail in the sum of GH¢50,000 with two sureties who are to be gainfully employed.

According to the trial judge, Dr Obengfo‘s physician had told the court that (Dr Obeng-Andoh) is fit and his plea could be taken by the court.

The trial judge said she was not going to stay proceeding because since a motion to stay proceedings was only a notice, adding that the trial would go until a motion to stay proceedings was granted by the High Court.

Nana Bekoe defence counsel who held the brief of Dr Morris Ankrah for the accused informed the court that a motion on notice for stay of proceedings had been filed at the High Court.

Nana Bekoe, however, prayed the court for bail for the accused and that his client although was receiving treatment at the hospital, he had competent people to stand surety for him.

The embattled plastic surgeon could hardly walk without assistance and had to be assisted to join a vehicle at the court premises.

The matter has been adjourned to July 6.

The facts of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Stephen K. Adjei the prosecutor are that the Ghana Medical and Dental Council in Accra in July 2015 during their routine monitoring exercise received information that the accused had failed to renew his annual registration to practice as a medical doctor and to operate a private facility since 2013 but still practiced in his hospital.

The Ghana Medical and Dental Council, therefore, reported the matter to the Police and on December 28, 2016, the Police went to the accused hospital to arrest him.

The Police, however, met him in the process of performing the certain medical procedure on a witness in the case.

The police after questioning Dr Obeng-Andoh charged him to appear before the court on February 6, last year

The accused, however, petitioned the Criminal Investigations Department and the court process was temporarily halted.

The case docket was forwarded to the Attorney General’s Department for advice.

The Attorney General Department on May 8, this year advised that all charges preferred against Dr Obeng-Andoh be maintained and that he should be arraigned.

Dr Dominic Kwame Obeng-Andoh has also been remanded into Police custody by a District Court in Accra over a murder charge.

He is being held for the death of Stacy Ofei Darko, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of National Youth Entrepreneurship Innovation Programme at the Presidency.