NPP not against investigations, but use of bail to intimidate opposition - Baffuor Awuah

Nana Agyei Baffuor Awuah, a member of Parliament's Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, stated on JoyFM's Top Story on Friday, July 17, that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is not opposed to investigations but to what it describes as the use of bail conditions to intimidate opposition figures. He argued that "The case has not been made by the opposition that they are averse to being investigated or criminal proceedings. The case that has been highlighted from day one has been the use of bail to oppress members of the opposition."

His comments followed President John Mahama's remarks that all ongoing investigations are evidence-based and not politically motivated. Mr. Awuah cited the bail conditions imposed on the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Chairman Wontumi, and the recent GH¢50 million bail granted to former Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCoD), Dennis Miracles Aboagye, as examples of punitive bail conditions. He argued that bail should only ensure a suspect's availability for investigations, not serve as punishment.