Private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has said police is breaking the law if they carry out their plan to arraign FixTheCountry convener, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, on Monday, February 14, 2022.
He said the plan by the police, which is contained in a statement released on Saturday, February 12, breaches Article 14(3) of the constitution which requires that they arraign the suspect in court tomorrow – or within 48 hours after the arrest of a suspect – if the suspect won’t be granted bail.
“The 48-hour decision. 48 hours is 48 hours,” he stressed in a Facebook post.
He also cited his case, Martin Kpebu (No.4) v Attorney General to drum home his point.
READ ALSO: Police confirm arrest of #FixTheCountry’s Barker-Vormawor over ‘coup threat’
Meanwhile, reports indicated that more than 24 hours after Mr Barker-Vormawor was arrested he has not been granted access to his lawyers.
One of Mr Barker-Vormawor’s colleagues has told Joy News that they don’t even know his whereabouts.
Felicity Nelson said the police was abusing the right of Mr Barker-Vormawor.
“We don’t know where he is, and it took the Police 12 hours to produce a statement saying they have arrested Oliver.
“Is this the normal practice? If you have arrested someone, why is this person denied his right to legal counsel? We still don’t know where he is,” she claimed.
Police said Barker-Vormawor was arrested by the Tema Regional Command for stating a clear intention to subvert the constitution.
Police said the alleged post “was to the effect that he will stage a coup himself if the E-Levy Bill is passed by Parliament.”
“The post contains a clear statement of intent with a possible will to execute a coup in his declaration of intent to subvert the constitution of the Republic of Ghana,” police said.