Drama unfolded on Tuesday when NPP Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe aka Abronye showed up with his lawyer before presiding judge Joseph Yenuban Kunsong for continuation of his case.
He is facing charges of offensive conduct conducive to the breach of peace and publication of false news over alleged derogatory remarks against a circuit court judge.
The presiding judge took issue with an allegation by the defence lawyer that the court failed to capture accurately what transpired during the last hearing.
Daniel Martey Addo, representing the NPP Bono Regional Chairman notified the court that both the accused and the legal team heard the judge indicate in his ruling that Abronye be remanded into BNI custody until the final determination of the matter.
However, the court records had captured that he be remanded until the next adjourned date, which was in two weeks’ time.
The judge noted that the allegation connotes a serious offence of forgery of judicial documents which had grave repercussions.
Joseph Kunsong then scolded the lawyer, noting that they, including the MP for Effutu Afenyo Markin had stirred the public up by misrepresenting the facts as they happened in court.
“It’s a serious offence for forgery of court proceedings (judicial documents). Afenyo Markin went to the media to say different things.
“There’s nowhere in this record that the accused person be remanded into BNI custody until the final determination of the matter. I would not do that.”
He read the ruling on the day which corroborated that Abronye was to be remanded into BNI custody until the next adjourned date and directed the defence lawyers to update their records.
He further reminded the prosecution to file their disclosures within 14 days and adjourned the case to July 14.
Counsel for Abronye indicated that although he will settle on the court’s record, the defense lawyers all heard another thing.
“I have a document I authored and as a lawyer how can I run away from the document I authored myself. Notwithstanding whatever the lawyer heard the court record is superior so if in the end and on record for that day it was indicated contrary to what we said we’ll go by the records of the court.
But it doesn’t also take away what counsel and the legal team heard in court. And not just the legal team but the accused person as well,” he explained after the proceedings.
At the High Court attempts by the NPP Bono Regional Chairman’s lawyers to seek a variation of his bail conditions hit a snag after the court adjourned the hearing.
Abronye is on a GHC100,000 bail with two sureties to be justified. He is also to deposit his travel documents with the court Registrar and report to the Police CID every fortnight.
Presiding judge in the matter indicated that the court had shortly been served with the prosecution’s affidavit in opposition to the application.
She therefore adjourned the proceedings to Thursday in order to assess the documents filed and rule on the application for bail variation.
By Laud Adu-Asare
