Seven out of the nine persons charged with treason were yesterday refused bail by an Accra High Court.
Mr Victor Kwadjoga Adawudu, counsel for the accused, told the court that treason is a bailable offence.
But ruling on the bail application, Justice George Buadi, the presiding judge, stated that accused were not unreasonably detained.
He said some of the accused, who were senior and junior military personnel, could interfere with investigation.
Justice Buadi stated that the two months detention of the accused for attempting to destabilise the government was not unreasonable, adding that some junior military men had staged a successful coup in Ghana few decades ago.
Samuel Kojo Gameli, a senior military officer, Gershon Akpa, civilian employee at the Ghana Armed Forces, Warrant Officer II (WOII) Esther Doku, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Lance Corporal Sylvester Akapewu and Corporal Seidu Abubakar had been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and treason.
They were charged together with Dr Frederick Yao Mac-Palm, the Chief Executive Officer of Citadel Hospital, at Alajo, Accra, and Donyo Kafui, a local weapon manufacturer.
In a related development, the magistrate court has asked the prosecution to expedite the case and take the docket to the Attorney General for advice.
The court gave the advice after Mr Adawudu raised a concern that prosecution were still holding keys to Dr Mac-Palm’s property.
The prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sylvester Asare, told the court presided over by Mrs Rosemond Dodua Agyari, then presiding, that Dr Mac-Palm and his colleagues belonged to an association called Take Action Ghana (TAG) and had planned to stage demonstrations, ostensibly to topple the government.
He said in July this year, accused contacted a blacksmith from Alavanyo, in the Volta Region, to manufacture 22 explosives, six ammunitions and five pistols.
The court heard that the manufacturer charged alleged accomplices GH¢2,300 as the cost of each pistol and GH¢400.00 for each explosive.
He said on September 19, Dr Mac-Palm and Kafui were arrested after test firing at Teshie Military shooting range.
The court heard that a search conducted in the premises of the Citadel Hospital revealed six unregistered pistol, one registered pistol, 22 explosives, three grenades, 63 rounds of ammunition, two empty AK47 magazines and other machines used in manufacturing weapons.
The case has been adjourned to November 20.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
