‘Coup’ Doctor Out Of Prison

A medical doctor who is at the centre of an alleged coup plot to destabilize the country and overthrow the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has been released from the Nsawam Medium Prison.

Dr. Frederick Mac-Palm who has spent about a year in custody — six (6) months in police custody and five (5) months in prison custody — was finally released after he was able to meet the bail terms imposed by the Court of Appeal which revised the one granted by an Accra High Court.

The doctor and nine others are before an Accra High Court charged with treason felony and other charges for allegedly attempting to carry out a coup in the country.

Others accomplices are ACP/Dr. Benjamin Agordzo, Col. Samuel Kojo Gameli, Donya Kafui aka Ezor, a local weapon manufacturer (blacksmith) from Alavanyo; Bright Allan Debrah Ofosu aka BB, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Lance Corporal Sylvester Akapewu, Lance Corporal Seidu Abubakar and WO II Esther Saan aka Mama Gee of the Military Academy and Training Schools (MATS) and Johannes Zikpi, a civilian employee of the Ghana Armed Forces.

 

Initial Bail Terms

In January this year, an Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Charles Ekow Baiden, granted ACP/Dr. Agordzo GH¢500,000 self-recognizance bail which he was able to execute.

WO II Esther Saan was also granted bail by another court and although she was able to execute it, she was ordered to remain at the military barracks where she would be under the supervision of the military.

Another court, presided over by Justice Samuel Asiedu, granted Dr. Mac-Palm and the other eight (8) accused persons a bail of GH¢10 million with two sureties each to be justified.

As part of the bail condition, they are to report to the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) twice a week as well as deposit their passports with the court registry.

 

Loud Cry

Unable to meet the terms of the bail set by the court, lawyers for the accused persons went back to plead for a variation which was granted by the court.

The court reduced the bail sum from GH¢10 million each to GH¢6 million each, with three sureties each, and only Col. Gameli was able to execute his bail bond.

 

Appeals Court

But the accused persons were still unable to execute their bail because they said it was excessive.

The Counsel for some of the accused persons, Victor Kodjoga Adawudu, subsequently filed an application for bail and a notice of appeal for variation of the bail terms set by the High Court on behalf of the accused persons.

It was the argument of the lawyer that the terms of the bails granted the accused persons were excessive and prayed for a variation.

The Attorney General’s Department represented by Hilda Craig, a Senior State Attorney, said the accused persons were already on bail and a court had on two occasions reviewed their bail terms.

She said the application for bail filed by the lawyer was an abuse of court processes and if anything at all, the application should be for a variation and not for a fresh bail.

The panel presided over by Justice Margaret Welbourne and assisted by Justices Anthony Oppong and Eric Kyei Baffuor reviewed the bail to GH¢1 million each, with two sureties each, one to be justified.

The order of reporting to the BNI twice and also depositing their passports with the court registry still remains.

So far, only Dr. Mac-Palm was able to execute the new terms of bail and was released from the Nsawam prison while the others are still in custody.

The trial is set for October 15, 2020.

 

Main Allegations

The accused persons are said to have held discussions on whether or not to kill the President once their alleged coup plot had succeeded.

They are also alleged to have planned to acquire electronic equipment solely for the purpose of jamming the system of the National Communications Authority (NCA) to render all broadcasting stations, except the state broadcaster, useless.

Beyond the killing plot, the prosecution is alleging that the accused persons had discussions towards capturing top public officials.

Again, the accused are said to have procured weapons including improvised explosives and test-fired them. Besides, they contracted persons to manufacture grenades, pistols, among other dangerous weapons, for the supposed coup.