The police at Ghana’s border town of Aflao has found itself in a tango with the Commission on Human rights and Administrative justice (CHRAJ), over the former’s failure to release a suspect, despite a court order.
To that effect, the CHRAJ office at Aflao has petitioned the Volta Regional Police Command to compel the Aflao District Police Command to release the suspect, Mark Lugudor, from police cells immediately and unconditionally.
In an exclusive interview with The New Crusading Guide yesterday, the lawyer at the CHRAJ office at Aflao, Mr. Nortey, said the action of the police was “against the fundamental human rights of the accused especially, when all sureties have been satisfied.”
According to a source, the refusal of the police to release the suspect was premised on the handler of the case allegedly demanding an amount of GH¢500 from the suspect before his release. The latest action by CHRAJ stems from a publication in The New Crusading Guide, on February 8, 2010 under the headline “Aflao Police In Contempt Of Court?” Our source at CHRAJ indicates that a copy of the publication was attached to the petition asking for the release of Mark Lugudor.
A letter signed by S.K. Matanawui, Snr. High Court Registrar at Aflao, which was intercepted by The New Crusading Guide states that “pursuant to the bail granted the 2nd accused person, (Mark Lugudor), I write to confirm that the sureties’ property as contained in the Declaration has been visited personally by me and I am satisfied that the 2nd accused person, (Mark Lugudor) be released accordingly…”
“However,” the letter further states, “…any further detention of the 2nd accused person, (Mark Lugudor) in custody contrary to the court’s order may amount to unlawful detention.”
Mark Lugudor, was arrested on 23 January, 2010 on suspicion of armed robbery and has since been kept in police custody. The Aflao district Police Commander, Yakubu Issah, in an interview with The New Crusading Guide a fortnight ago, admitted on phone that the police were still keeping Lugudor.
He however, explained that one of the persons who stood as surety for the accused, has a case pending in court at Ho “and so Akpalu cannot be surety in a criminal case like armed robbery”.
He explained further that the Police expected that a new surety would be brought to replace Akpalu before the bail process could be completed. However, checks by this paper at the office of the Judge at the Aflao Circuit Court, Mr. Francis Obiri, contradicted claim by the Police Commander that one Akpalu stood as surety for the release of Lugudor.
The two people who stood as surety, according to court documents, were Ben Sedecoodzi and Bona Sodjinshie, both residents of Aflao.
Source: The New Crusading Guide/Ghana
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