Barker-Vormawor, along with 52 others, was arrested on Monday, September 23, 2024, and charged with allegedly causing public disturbances during the Democracy Hub protest.

He is required to report to the police twice a week.

His charges include stealing, unlawful assembly, unlawful damage, assaulting a public officer, and offensive conduct conducive to a breach of the peace.

Initially denied bail by the Accra Circuit Court, Barker-Vormawor’s appeal to the High Court also resulted in further remand.

The High Court judge expressed concerns about whether Barker-Vormawor would refrain from committing another offense, given that he was already on bail for treason felony charges at the time of the alleged incident.

The judge warned that bail would be granted if the prosecution failed to commence the trial promptly.

Subsequently, Barker-Vormawor’s lawyers renewed the bail application at the High Court, which was successful.

Source: Adomonline

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This development at the Circuit Court marks the third time the court has refused his bail request since he was arrested during the demonstration two weeks ago.

This was after the Attorney General’s Department opposed his application.

Prior to this, he had been refused same by an Accra High Court, and the Circuit Court, respectively.

Meanwhile, another detainee Fanny Otoo who has been sick since the arrest, was granted bail of GHs20,000 with two sureties.

The case has been adjourned to October 14, 2024.

This morning in court, the State filed an affidavit opposing the bail applications for 20 other anti-galamsey detainees.

This followed the State’s assertion that they had not been served with the applications, despite court documents indicating service on October 2.

The Judge then directed that the protestors’ lawyers be properly served.

The case was adjourned to Wednesday, October 9.

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The High Court presided over by Justice Rev Joseph Owusu-Adu Agyemang held that the application lacks merit.

The court also awarded a cost of GH₵10k against Oliver Barker-Vormawor after lawyers of Kan Dapaah asked for GH₵20,000.

The ruling of the court followed a submission from lawyers of Barker-Vormawor that, the National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah exaggerated and coloured his application by the use of words like bribe or bribery.

The Defendant argued that, the removal of those words from Kan Dapaah’s Statement of Claims means there was no case for defamation to claim.

They contended that a private individual cannot bribe a public officer like Kan Dapaah as per his suit.

But lawyers of the National Security Minister opposed the request and urged the court to dismiss the same with punitive cost.

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Speaking on The Probe on JoyNews, he explained that after witnessing several disappointments in the country without any real accountability, people feel tired and do not believe the systems can change.

“Generally, there’s a lack of belief and faith that anything good can come out of the country and when people have that faith, that sense, they stop trying…people just resign themselves to a particular faith. But in fact, systems can change if we have faith that they can change because then that leaves us to move more,” he told the host Emefa Apawu.

He said this is as a result of the fact that, over the years, there have been many promises to the citizenry but all that have not been fulfilled.

“There were so many promises that were made that whether they were not believed by the elite class that made those promises, or in fact there was no commitment to actualizing and realising them. As a result, many people have seen groups broken, many people have lost people within the dysfunctional healthcare system, and many people have lost job opportunities, and opportunities to grow for themselves.”

“A lot of us are working into retirement where our pensions are not secured. So, we have seen a whole generation lost. All of this is happening in our lifetime and we haven’t seen punishments being given to anybody, (or) we haven’t seen any sense of real accountability for some of the things happening in the country,” Mr Barker-Vormawor noted.

The Fix The Country convenor explained that in such situations people give up after years of witnessing system failures and injustice.

“If I was slapped and they took my phone, I just want the phone back and I don’t want to deal with it, because I don’t truly believe that justice can occur. So just the little, I can get out of this system that is not invested in restoring the faith of its citizens. Gradually, we feel the effect.”

Additionally, Mr Barker-Vormawor said that corruption has seeped into the public systems because of the corruption witnessed at the top.

However, the Fix The Country Convenor believes that if there is real transparency and accountability where people pay for the wrongs they do, it will transcend across the public space.

He stated that the populace must regain the faith that the country can change, adding that without that sense of faith and belief, nobody will be invested in the process of building the republic.

“That for me is the essence of our advocacy in general, that a lot more young people have to believe that this country can in fact be able to achieve justice for them, that they might be able to see their dreams actualised in this republic. We’ve allowed disrespect to go on and we have allowed the kind of substandard leadership that continues to occur.”

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The ex-parte motion, which was filed on Thursday, October 19, is expected to be moved in court tomorrow [Friday, October 27].

In the affidavit in support of his motion, Kan Dapaah asserts: “It has not been possible to effect service personally on the defendant (Oliver Barker-Vormawor) with the writ of summons and statement of claim and it has become impracticable to do so as I do not know the place of abode of the defendant and attempts to effect service on him at his place of work as I know, has also proved unsuccessful.”

Mr. Kan Dapaah has sued the lead convener of the #FixTheCountry Movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, for defamation.

In a writ issued on Tuesday, September 26, the lawyers of the Minister, demanded ¢10 million as general damages for alleging that the Ministry attempted to stop his “activism” with a $1 million bribe.

Mr. Kan Dapaah is also demanding “An apology and retraction of the words” by Mr Barker-Vormawor.

He also demanded that there should be a “Perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from repeating similar or other defamatory words against the plaintiff.”

The suit followed Barker-Vormawor‘s allegation that he and his colleagues had turned down an offer made by the Minister of National Security in a secret meeting.

He said they were offered $1m to stop the ‘activism.’

The lead convenor had also posted on X (formerly Twitter), on September 21, alleging that “The cabinet promised us $1 million if only we can stop the demonstration. We rejected!”

ALSO READ:

• Kan Dapaah sues Barker-Vormawor over bribery allegation; demands GH¢10m

• I’ll release audio recording of Kan Dapaah’s $1m offer to silence me – Barker-Vormawor

• Your statement incites a coup – Security analyst fires Kan Dapaah

According to the police, any accused person in custody is released only after they meet bail conditions spelt out by the court.

The Tema High Court, presided over by Justice Daniel Mensah, granted Mr Barker-Vormawor, who is facing a charge of treason felony, bail to the tune of GH¢2 million.

The bail comes with two sureties, one to present documents covering landed property within the jurisdiction of the court.

Hours after the bail was granted, sympathisers of Mr Barker-Vormawor accused the police of deliberately delaying processes in order to keep him in custody.

But a statement, signed by the Director of Public Affairs Supt. Alexander Kwaku Obeng, has indicated that pursuant to the judgement the accused was taken back to the court to meet the bail conditions.

“At the court, the Registrar informed the Police that he had submitted the document presented by the sureties to the Lands Commission for verification and he was therefore unable to proceed with the execution of the bail until a response was received from the Lands Commission,” portions of the statement read.

The statement explained the accused was therefore taken back into custody pending the completion of the processes.

In view of this, the statement has explained the execution of the bail is dependent on the Court and not the police.

“The accused person will therefore be released when the court is satisfied that the bail conditions have been duly met,” it added.

Meanwhile, the police have cautioned individuals to be circumspect in their utterances regarding the matter.

Read the Police statement below:

Documents filed on behalf of the AG at the Tema High Court had accused the youth activist of not assisting with investigations.

Mr Barker-Vormawor, who is said to be unwell, has put in an application for bail through his lawyers.

He’s facing the charge of treason felony over allegations he has instigated members of his group to overthrow government.

He has been in the custody of the police since February 11, 2022, when he was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport.

Documents filed in opposition to the bail on behalf of the Attorney General spells out challenges investigators have faced so far.

The AG says the youth activist has refused to obey a court order requiring that he grants the police access to his mobile phone.

A search warrant is also said to have been granted police investigators to visit the residence of Mr Barker-Vormawor.

The AG says he has failed to show the police any fixed place of abode within Ghana where he resides.

“That having regard to the nature of the offence and the punishment which conviction will entail, the applicant, a person with no fixed place of abode in Ghana is not likely to appear to stand trial if granted bail,” the AG argued.

The application for bail was to be heard on Thursday, March 10, 2022, but was adjourned as the lawyers for the youth activist said they had just received the documents filed by the AG’s office. The case is to be heard on Monday, March 14, 2022

The #Fix The Country Convener has filed an affidavit responding to the concerns raised by the AG.

He explains that when he was presented with the search warrant, he led the police to conduct intrusive and thorough searches at his home and all the other places that were named in the warrant.

Regarding his mobile phone, he explains when he received the warrant, his lawyers wrote to the Inspector General of Police entreating him to put in place the necessary arrangements for the search to be conducted in accordance with the warrant.

He added that he has since filed a case challenging the validity of the said search warrant.

The phone, according to him, remains in the custody of the police.

Oliver Barker-Vormawor assured he will show up to stand trial if granted bail.

“That I will make myself readily available to go through the present criminal proceedings and as I have done and continue to fully cooperate with any investigations which this criminal process may entail”

Portions of the AG’s documents allege that two different women had claimed to be the wife of the youth activist.

“That following his arrest, applicant directed the police officers to speak to a
lady in the United Kingdom that the applicant claimed was his wife, which
allegation eventually turned out to be false. Subsequently, another woman
showed up at the Ashaiman Police Station claiming to be the applicant’s wife.”

Mr. Barker-Vormawor insists he has only one wife who lives and works in Ghana.

“I will at the hearing of this motion, pray the honourable court to expunge the said scandalous deposition from the court’s records.

That one whole month into my arrest and detention (and as at the time of deposing
to this Affidavit), the Respondent is yet to charge me with the offence of Treason
Felony or take a statement from me in respect of that charge.

“That I am advised by counsel, and I verily believe the same to be true that the
Respondent has no genuine or reasonable or probably cause for my arrest or
continuous detention.

“That I am, again, advised by counsel, and I verily believe the same to be true that
the offence of Treason Felony is not supported by the facts of this case (including
all the depositions in the Respondent’s affidavit in opposition).

“That, finally, I am advised by counsel, and I verily believe the same to be true that
this is a proper case where this honourable Court ought to exercise its jurisdiction
to grant me bail pending trial and to make any other order(s) which the Court
deems fit.”.