Court grants bail to NPP activists

Tamale, July 3, GNA - A Tamale Circuit Court on Friday granted a bai l of GH¢30,000 with two sureties to Bashiru Mohammed, alias Red, a 37-yea r-old driver and an activist of the New Patriotic Party. He was charged with possessing firearms without lawful authority and

offensive conduct.

The court presided over by Justice Adu-Ampomah, a High Court Judge sitting with additional responsibility as a Circuit Court Judge ordered t he accused to report to the police once every week, while he surrenders his passport to the service.

The trial judge over-ruled the application for remand by the prosecution though he admitted the case was a first degree felony. He indicated that the prosecution had failed to provide evidence to support its argument that the accused would either interfere with the witnesses or would not abide by the processes of the trial. Counsel for the accused Mr Emdio Kanomuoh Musah expressed gratitude to the court's decision, saying it was a vindication of the rule of law. Presenting the facts of the case, Senior State Attorney Salia Abdul-Qudus said the accused in 2003, fired a firearm at a polling statio n during the voter's registration exercise and bolted away in his car. He said the accused was later arrested and put before a Tamale Circu it Court but was granted bail.

Mr Abdul-Qudus said witnesses in the case are ready to testify befor e the court hence the need to re-arrest the accused person. He refuted the argument by counsel of the accused that Mohammed was arrested by personnel of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) on Ju ne 26 and was not told of his offence. Mr Abdul-Qudus said the accused who was arrested by the BNI in Accra , when he arrived from South Africa was granted bail on the same day and re-arrested on June 28 and should have been put before court on June 30,

but for the anniversary celebration of the four judges and a military officer who were murdered in cold blood on that day. He said because July 1 was also a public holiday the possible date wa s July 2 to present the accused to court. The prosecution told the Ghana News Agency that the accused would arrested and put before a Tamale High Court because they were not happy w ith the ruling.