Akuapem Poloo saga: I doubt Akufo-Addo will intervene – Samson Anyenini

Lawyer and host of News File on Accra-based Multimedia platform, Samson Anyenini on Saturday gave some ‘legal light’ into public perceptions in the aftermath of the Akuapem Poloo saga.

GhanaWeb monitored his legal analysis delivered at the beginning of News File on Saturday, April 17, wherein he addressed a number of issues related to the incarceration of Poloo, real name Rosemond Brown.

Anyenini tasked campaigners calling for Poloo’s release to leave social media and head to appropriate quarters, i.e. the courts for an appeal or to the president for a pardon.

He, however, added that in this particular case, he doubted that president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will be interested.

“The President wields the prerogative power of mercy to grant a pardon or reduce her sentence. if he is minded to do so, I doubt if he may want to contemplate that."

There has been a groundswell of social media calls for the president to pardon Poloo.

Social media opinion was split after a judge of a Circuit Court in Accra handed down a 90-day sentence to the actress over a naked photo she posted in 2020 to celebrate the birthday of her son.

Anyenini also addressed the widely made call for a non-custodial sentence as a better remedial measure for the offence Poloo was convicted on.

He said, Ghana’s current laws did not make provisions for such: “Those of you preaching a wiser sentence would have been to put her to some work and public advocacy, there is no such thing as sentence to community service in Ghana, get that,” he stressed.