The Ghana Police Service threw the Constitution to the dogs as far as its handling of #FixTheCountry Convener Oliver Barker-Vormawor is concerned,
The Ghana Police Service threw the Constitution to the dogs as far as its handling of #FixTheCountry Convener Oliver Barker-Vormawor is concerned, private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu.
The social activist was arrested over a social media post in which he threatened to stage a coup should the controversial e-levy proposed by the government in the 2022 budget be passed.
The Cambridge University PhD student made the comment after a video of an e-levy customised cake baked for Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s 65th birthday went viral on social media.
He posted on Facebook: “If this E-Levy passes after this cake bullshit, I will do the coup myself. Useless Army!”
The police, subsequently, arrested Mr Barkr-Vormawor and issued a statement saying his “post contain[ed] a clear statement of intent with a possible will to execute a coup in his declaration of intent to subvert the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana”.
The suspect was held in custody beyond the constitutionally stipulated 48 hours.
In Mr Kpebu’s view, the detention of the lawyer “shows a police service that didn’t take their time to see exactly what they want to charge him with”.
“They’ve been doing merry-go-round”, he told Accra-based Joy FM in an interview, explaining: “They started with offensive conduct and now they’ve ended at treason felony”.
“So, it just doesn’t bode well for our democracy”, he asserted.
Mr Kpebu observed: “The police has really really embarrassed us”.
“From the way they denied him access to his lawyer, it’s breaching of Article 14 (2); and, further detaining him [for] more than 48 hours before going to court against the Supreme Court decision. Can you imagine?” he observed.
The conduct of the police, he noted, is an affront to the celebrated ruling by Chief Justice Kwesi Anin-Yeboah’s predecessor.
“Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo; her dearest judgment that she’s given the people of Ghana – the 48-hour decision; you know that was her valedictory judgment. That means that as Chief Justice, when she was leaving the Bench that was the best she thought she could give Ghanaian: that people of Ghana, ‘I’m giving you a decision that will make court services available 365 days a year’. That is ‘Kpebu Number 4 versus Attorney General Number 4’”, Mr Kpebu pointed out.
“And, the police have thrown this law to the dogs. I’m just imagining what CJ Akuffo will be feeling”, he surmised.
“And not only that; current Chief Justice Kwesi Anin-Yeboah rolled out [the] implementation of the law and we’ve been enjoying it”.
“We’ve been going to court on Saturdays, public holidays. So, the same for Sundays. And, yet, the police has thrown this Constitution to the dogs and they’re telling us that they’re protecting the Constitution. It’s a mockery. Complete mockery.
“And that is what we have to let the police service understand: that they’re not bigger than the Constitution”, Mr Kpebu stated.
“They’re breaching the Constitution willingly. We will not allow that to happen. The police are destroying the Constitution and that is what we must point out to them”, he fumed.
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