Constitutional law expert and private legal practitioner, Kwame Adofo, has argued that there is no legal basis for requiring a detainee to forfeit personal property as a bail condition.

According to him, compelling a detainee to present documentation for their own property to satisfy bail requirements is procedurally flawed and legally unsupported.

His statement comes in response to the bail conditions reportedly imposed on broadcaster Paul Adom-Otchere, who was invited for questioning by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

In an interview with Akua Oteng Amponsah on Kasapa FM News on August 1, 2025, Lawyer Adofo described the OSP’s position on the matter as unfounded.

“The law is clear that a detainee cannot present documents of their property to meet a bail condition; rather, it’s the surety who should provide the necessary documentation,” he explained.

He stressed that a detainee has no collateral at risk if they abscond, whereas the surety, whose property is pledged, has a vested interest in ensuring the detainee appears in court.

“The OSP should provide an instance where a detainee was bailed based on documentation presented on their personal property. This has never happened before, and there’s no law that supports what the OSP is doing,” he added.

Adofo suggested that Adom-Otchere’s legal team may either seek a variation of the bail terms in court or wait out the 48-hour lawful detention period, after which the OSP must either release him or bring him before a judge.

Responding to speculation that Adom-Otchere may be hiding something by resisting the bail condition, Adofo posited that the media personality may simply not own any landed property.

“There are individuals who prefer to rent rather than go through the stress of building, so it’s possible Paul may not have a landed property in his name,” he noted.

He concluded by asserting that Adom-Otchere may genuinely lack the assets necessary to meet the bail condition imposed.