'You're a shame to the entire judicial profession!' - Afenyo-Markin slams Circuit Court judge

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has criticised a Circuit Court judge over what he describes as flawed handling of bail proceedings involving two New Patriotic Party (NPP) officials arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Accra on April 13, 2026.

Speaking in an interview on Citi FM's Eye Witness News on April 14, 2026, he recounted how the Bono Regional Chairman of the party, Kwame Baffoe, widely known as Abronye, and the Sunyani East Communications Officer, Abubakar Yakubu (Baba Amando), were picked up by police and subjected to interrogation before being released after senior party figures intervened to stand surety for them.

Abronye released

Describing how the process unfolded, Afenyo-Markin explained that police initially engaged the suspects and later indicated during proceedings that they were not seeking to keep them in custody.

He noted that investigators were instead focused on “a forensic examination” of social media posts linked to the case and, in his words, the prosecution made it clear it “was not ready to proceed with the trial” at that stage.

He further argued that despite this position, the court proceeded in a manner he found troubling, insisting that the circumstances did not justify denying bail.

Expressing his anger over the outcome, he criticised the judge’s decision in unusually strong terms, stating that the ruling amounted, in his view, to “a shame to the entire judicial profession.”

He expressed strong frustration over how the judge exercised discretion in the matter, insisting that the reasoning presented during proceedings was troubling.

“Out of nowhere, the court now says that, okay, we have discretion, so we have looked at the situation. If bail is granted, the accused will interfere in the investigation for two weeks. Jesus Christ, this is the country we are in,” Afenyo-Markin stated.

According to him, the court justified its decision by stating that it had discretion and, after reviewing the facts, believed the accused could interfere with investigations if granted bail for about two weeks.

“The Circuit Court judge, shame unto him. He has brought a big shame unto himself and the judiciary; that prosecutor does not need a person in custody,” he lambasted.

Despite his criticism of the court, Afenyo-Markin also used the opportunity to commend the police for their handling of the matter.

“Let me take this opportunity to commend the Ghana Police Service. I want the records to reflect that, if for nothing at all, yesterday and today, they have demonstrated professionalism,” he noted.

Baba Amando and Abronye have been granted bail by the Criminal Investigations Department of the police following their arrest over separate allegations.

The two party officials were released in Accra on April 14, 2026, after hours of interrogation.

Abronye was reportedly picked up by police over alleged threats directed at a judge presiding over a case at the Adenta Circuit Court, while Baba Amando is being investigated in connection with claims of false publication.

JKB/MA

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