High Court restores Abronye’s bail after passport surrender
An Accra High Court has restored the bail of Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), after he surrendered his passport to the court’s Registrar.
The court cautioned that any breach of the bail conditions would result in its immediate revocation.
On June 4, 2026, the High Court ordered Baffoe’s remand after he failed to comply with a bail condition requiring him to deposit his passport with the Court Registry.
At the hearing on Monday, Baffoe, accompanied by his counsel, Mr Daniel Martey Addo, prayed the court to vary the remand order.
“We appear before you this morning praying the court to vary the order remanding the applicant,” Mr Addo said.
He added that his client had now fully complied with the court’s directive and was therefore in lawful custody.
“We pray that my Lady will vary the order,” counsel appealed.
The court confirmed that Baffoe’s passport had been deposited with the Registry the previous Friday.
In its ruling, the High Court stated that upon consideration of submissions by counsel and confirmation from the Registrar that the applicant had fully met the bail requirements, the bail earlier granted was restored under the previous conditions.
The court, however, cautioned Baffoe that any future breach would lead to the revocation of his bail.
Earlier, the High Court had admitted Baffoe to bail following his remand by a Circuit Court, with one of the conditions being that he deposit his passport with the court.
Baffoe subsequently filed an application for bail review or variation, which the High Court initially dismissed on the grounds that he had shown disregard for its orders.
The court noted that Baffoe had failed to comply with its directive, arguing that his passport was in the custody of the United Kingdom High Commission.
It held that such conduct could not be condoned.
Baffoe was charged by the Police before an Accra Circuit Court with publication of false news and offensive conduct.
He pleaded not guilty, but the Circuit Court remanded him into the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).
During earlier proceedings, Mr Addo informed the court that the request for bail variation related to the requirement to deposit the passport.
He urged the court to take into account Baffoe’s right to education, stating that the passport had been submitted to the UK High Commission in Ghana. Counsel also presented an official receipt confirming the deposit of the passport.
According to counsel, Baffoe was scheduled to resume school in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2026.
However, the Principal State Attorney, Mr Joshua Sackey, opposed the application, arguing that the passport should have been deposited with the court’s Registrar as required.
Mr Sackey explained that although Baffoe was granted bail on May 21, 2026, the UK High Commission only received the passport on May 25, 2026.
“This shows that the applicant had the passport in his custody on May 21 but failed to surrender it to the Registrar as part of his bail conditions,” he said.
He added that there was a clear intention not to comply with the court’s orders and urged the court not to entertain the application.
Mr Sackey further argued that the bail conditions did not infringe on Baffoe’s right to education, noting that he could have sought the court’s permission before travelling.
He therefore urged the court to dismiss the application and require the applicant to formally apply for permission to travel.
Source: GNA