Baffour Gyan Chills With Friends After Being Set Free

AFTER SEEING his criminal charges of assault dropped by his complaint, in what is gradually building up to be one of the most controversial legal scandals in recent times, the elder brother of Black Stars� skipper, Baffour Gyan, was said to have treated friends and loved ones to a wonderful reception at a popular spot in Kumasi on Friday night. Hours after extricating himself from weeks of legal drilling, Baffour Gyan, together with his accomplice, Anim Addo, tip-toed to Vanyo Pub, locally known in Kumasi as �Edamu A Eko�, located near the Kumasi stadium, where he sponsored a �Chilling into the Night� reception, with friends and associates eating, drinking and wining. The cost of the drinks and khebabs were on the former Black Stars striker, as friends drank expensive wine and chatted over cool sentimental songs from Kwabena Kwabena and other local artists. The said spot has in recent times become a popular place for celebrities, due to its proximity to the Kumasi stadium and competent service of local khebabs, including pork meat. How the former Black Stars Skipper managed to pull the deal, that saw him allegedly escape legal charges, after leading an assault on the Ashanti Regional Editor of The Daily Graphic, Mr. Daniel Kenu, continues to send tongues wagging. Though, the latter has explicitly stated that his decision to drop the charges was purely based on health grounds and other related matters. Mr. Kenu last Friday declared his disinterest in pursuing charges of assault against Baffour Gyan and Mr. Anim Addo, who subjected him to inhumane treatmentat the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, few weeks ago. The discontinuation consequently meant that the former Black Stars striker and his friends would no longer have to appear before the KMA Court which was hearing the matter and there could not have been a better way to celebrate such an occasion than to invite friends and loved ones to dine and wine. LEGAL CONSEQUENCES The Chronicle took the trouble to seek legal opinion about the likely consequences that could have befallen Baffour Gyan and Anim Addo, assuming without admitting, that the court had found the two suspects guilty. The Ashanti Regional President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Lawyer Yaw Boafo told this reporter that in matters of assault, the punishment may include fine or imprisonment, depending on the nature of damage caused. He said though he was not fully abreast with the charges preferred against the two suspects, he knows that their action fell under misdemeanor, which normally comes with a fine or short term imprisonment. �We have various forms of assault; we have assault with battery, assault with bodily harm and others, so it sometimes depends on the nature of the incident and charges brought against such persons,� the Ashanti Regional GBA President noted. Ashanti GJA�s disappointment The Ashanti Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), led by Mr. Listowell Yesu Bukarson, has meanwhile expressed disappointment in the decision by Kenu to drop the case, stressing the association feels betrayed by the action of the Graphic Regional Editor. In a statement issued by the Ashanti GJA, the regional chairman said he was surprised at the development, considering the fact that the entire GJA was solidly behind him and was bent on seeking justice for him. �We thought we were fighting a collective battle but it appears we have been left in the cold,� Listowell told The Chronicle. According to him, though the association respects the decision of Mr. Kenu to withdraw the case, it would have been proper if he had at least given prior notice to the association.