The commercial driver and the mate who were seen in viral video footage fighting a uniformed police officer have been granted bail by a Weija Circuit Court.
The GHc 10,000 bail was in addition to two sureties, according to Samuel Agbotsey, the Campaign Coordinator of Amnesty International, who observed proceedings.
[contextly_sidebar id=”scsqVO9DkSLGjVpKhw7AEp9QBiw7XRwk”]The suspects; Francis Buaben, the driver and Albert Ansah, the conductor, were however not in court when pleas were made for the bail by their lead lawyer, Martin Kpebu, on health grounds.
The lawyers notably had about 10 other lawyers ready to stand in their defence.
There have been reports that the two were maltreated in police custody, sparking interest in the case by a number of groups.
Mr. Agbotsey said the bail order was being processed with the hope that the two will be released on Friday.
Earlier, human rights lawyer Francis Xavier Sosu said there are physical signs of what looked possible abuse suffered by the two while in the Odorkor Police custody.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC), Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), and Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) remained vigilante to ensure the two are not abused in custody.
The interest groups were later informed that the suspects had been transferred to the BNI Headquarters for their safety over fears that they would be abused by police officers or the police station may be besieged by other drivers.
Background
According to police, the incident occurred when the driver was stopped by the officer for disobeying road traffic laws.
The incident happened on Thursday, March 14, when the driver stopped in the middle of the road at Weija for some passengers which led to a build-up of traffic and a minor accident involving a motorbike.
The assaulted officer who noticed the incident quickly went to the scene.
The driver, upon noticing the policeman, sped off but was given a hot chase by the officer who rode on a motorbike.
The officer then ordered the driver to stop the vehicle and move with him to the police station but the driver and his mate refused and launched an attack on the officer, leaving onlookers shocked.
The officer called for police assistance, causing the two offenders to flee the scene, leaving behind the vehicle.
The vehicle was subsequently towed to the Odorkor Police Station.
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa | citinewsroom.com | Ghana
Follow @delalibessa
