General News of Wednesday, 20 May 2026

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

'Even a Level 100 law student knows the right to bail' – Masawud Osman

Alhaji Osman Masawud is the 3rd National Vice Chairman of the NPP Alhaji Osman Masawud is the 3rd National Vice Chairman of the NPP

The National Third Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Alhaji Masawud Osman, has questioned the decision by a Circuit Court judge to remand the party’s Bono Regional Chairman after he had already spent two weeks in BNI custody.

Speaking to journalists at the court premises on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, following a bail hearing for the Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye, Osman said that although he is not a lawyer, he believes every Ghanaian has a constitutional right to bail unless found guilty by a competent court.

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“I am not a lawyer; I am an Agric student. My field is the science and practice of cultivating the soil to produce crops and rearing livestock and other farm animals. That is my area of expertise. But when it comes to legal matters, I am not a learned person,” he said.

According to him, the rights of accused persons must be protected under the law.

“But you and I know that the Constitution of Ghana gives every citizen the right to bail, and everybody knows that — even a Level 100 law student,” he stated.

Masawud Osman further argued that no accused person should be treated as guilty before a court delivers its judgment.

“Until a court of competent jurisdiction pronounces someone guilty, that person cannot be described as an offender. We are worried,” he said.

He also criticised the judge’s decision to remand Abronye even though the case has not yet been determined by the court.

“As a judge and a learned person who understands the law and the rights of citizens, you cannot remand an accused person when the matter has not yet been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction,” he argued.

Osman stressed that the explanation reportedly given by the judge for the remand was unacceptable.

“You are telling us that the reason for remanding him, even though there is no legal basis for doing so, is that if he were granted bail, he would continue what he was allegedly doing,” he added.

He questioned whether the judge was acting independently or under external influence.

“We are asking whether the judge is acting on his own accord, acting on someone’s instructions, or simply applying the law,” he concluded.

Abronye was remanded into BNI custody by Circuit Court 9 in Accra over allegations of spreading false news.

The NPP subsequently filed a motion challenging the court’s decision.

In the latest development, the bail application has been transferred from Criminal Court Two to General Jurisdiction Two, a move the party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, described as “mind-boggling” and a deliberate attempt to frustrate the process.

Accra Circuit Court details reasons for Abronye DC's continued detention

The hearing on the bail application has been adjourned to Thursday, May 21, 2026, after the prosecution requested more time to familiarise itself with the motion.



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