The Accra High Court has remanded the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, into police custody for failing to comply with a bail condition requiring him to surrender his passport to the court registry.
The order was issued on Thursday, June 4, 2026, by Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Bassit after the court dismissed an application seeking a variation of the bail condition.
In her ruling, Justice Abdul-Bassit held that Abronye had failed to comply with a specific court directive and described his conduct as a “flagrant disrespect” for the authority of the court.
“The court made specific orders directing the applicant to deposit his passport at the registry of the court. The applicant has failed to comply with the order, claiming that the passport is in the custody of the United Kingdom High Commission. This constituted a flagrant disrespect for the court’s order. This court will not condone it,” the judge stated.
Abronye is currently facing trial on one count of publication of false news and one count of offensive conduct conducive to the breach of the peace.
The charges stem from statements he allegedly made about a Circuit Court judge, which prosecutors contend were false and capable of undermining public confidence in the judiciary.
Bail Variation Application Rejected
Counsel for the accused, Daniel Martey Addo, had urged the court to vary the bail condition requiring his client to deposit his passport with the court registry.
The defence argued that the passport was currently in the custody of the United Kingdom High Commission in Ghana and presented a receipt confirming that the travel document had been submitted to the diplomatic mission.
Although counsel acknowledged that the passport had not been deposited with the court as directed, he maintained that the circumstances had been fully explained in a supplementary affidavit supporting the application.
Mr. Addo further appealed to the court to consider his client’s educational commitments, explaining that Abronye was expected to resume his studies in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2026.
He also indicated that the accused might need to travel abroad for medical reasons and therefore requested that the court grant the application.
Prosecution Opposes Application
The prosecution, led by Principal State Attorney Joshua Sackey, opposed the application and urged the court to dismiss it.
Mr. Sackey argued that the bail conditions imposed by the court were mandatory and that Abronye had failed to comply with them.
According to the prosecution, the bail order expressly required the accused to surrender all travelling documents to the court registrar and prohibited him from travelling outside the jurisdiction without prior approval from the court.
The prosecutor noted that Abronye was granted bail on May 21, 2026, while the receipt tendered by the defence showed that the United Kingdom High Commission received the passport on May 25, 2026—four days after the bail order was issued.
“This demonstrates that the applicant had possession of the passport on May 21 but failed to deposit it with the registrar as required under the bail conditions,” Mr. Sackey submitted.
He further argued that Abronye’s educational rights had not been violated, as he remained free to seek the court’s permission to travel if necessary.
The prosecution also prayed the court to direct the accused to surrender the passport immediately once it is released by the High Commission.
Background
Abronye was granted bail on May 21, 2026, in the sum of GH¢100,000 with two justified sureties.
As part of the bail conditions, he was ordered to report to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters every two weeks, surrender all travelling documents to the court registry, and refrain from travelling outside the jurisdiction without the court’s approval.
