Gregory Afoko’s family is considering a legal challenge after an Accra High Court withdrew the bail previously granted to their relative.
The family maintains that that judge’s ruling was not within his purview and described it as “completely out of place.”
A spokesperson for the family, Nana Yaw Osei Opoku, told Citi News that: Clearly, if you are not happy with the decision, there are other processes you can take advantage of; the court of appeal or even the Supreme Court to see if that decision can be quashed. Our view is that the judge acted without jurisdiction.”
Describing the ruling as strange, Mr. Opoku also raised concerns with Gregory Afoko’s treatment in custody after his health reportedly took a turn for the worse.
According to him, there was some suspicious activity when police were taking blood samples from him though he hadn’t complained of ill health.
“There were times they would take him, without even notifying him that they were taking him, to a hospital facility. And then I think on 10th July, he started feeling sick, vomiting blood and all that,” Mr. Opoku recounted.
Now Mr. Opoku says the family is on edge over the wellbeing of Mr. Afoko.
“Are they [police] hiding something? Have they done something to him such that they feel that they should keep him for some time before releasing him? We don’t understand what is going on. We only hope and pray he doesn’t die in custody.”
Mr. Afoko, who has been on trial since the murder of the Upper East Chairman of the New Patriotic Party in May 2015, was granted GHc 500,000 bail with two sureties in March 2019.
But he remained in custody prompting contempt charges against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante Apeatu and Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah.
With the latest development, the state has been met with criticism from observers who say this a stain on Ghana’s democratic credentials.
The country office of Amnesty International, for example, said this “will taint the image of Ghana forever.”
Mr. Afoko’s family first had cause to complain when the trial, which started in 2016 and was nearing completion, was discontinued and restarted following the arrest of another suspect, Asabke Alangdi, who had been on the run.
Afoko and Alangdi were then put before the Accra Central District Court on provisional charges of conspiracy to commit murder and murder.