Attorney General is right to drop treason felony case against Oliver Vormawor, says legal practitioner
The lawyer argues that a post on social media does not provide sufficient grounds for criminal charges to be proffered against social activist Barker Vormawor
A private legal practitioner, Gideon Tettey Tetteh, has supported the Attorney General’s decision to discontinue a treason felony case against the social activist Oliver Barker Vormawor.
The lawyer argues that a post on social media does not provide sufficient grounds for criminal charges to be proffered against the social activist.
Speaking with Asaase News, Tettey Tetteh said, “The Attorney General has the power to file a nolle prosequi because the Attorney General is the prosecution.
“It is the same state represented by the Attorney General who took the action against an accused person to court; it is that same state represented by the Attorney General that can say that I don’t want to continue this case again.”
“Coup” cue
Oliver Barker Vormawor, the convenor of the #fixthecountry movement, gained significant attention in 2022 when he posted on Facebook, “If this E-Levy passes after this Cake, I will do the coup myself.”
The comment led to widespread reactions on social media and ultimately resulted in his arrest on charges of treason felony.
Following his arrest, a section of the public urged security agencies to take action against Vormawor, prompting authorities to charge him.
The Attorney General, Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, made this decision following more than two years of legal proceedings stemming from Oliver Barker Vormawor’s arrest over comments he made on social media regarding plans to stage a coup.
The case initially began at the Ashaiman Circuit Court, where Vormawor’s legal representative, Justice Srem Sai – now the deputy attorney general and minister of justice – argued for the case to be dismissed.
He claimed the charge sheet was “so general that it is impossible to defend himself”, and contended that the state was effectively prosecuting Vormawor twice for the same offence, once for comments made on Facebook and again for those made on Twitter.
In 2022, the case was moved from the Ashaiman Circuit Court to the Accra High Court. At the high court, Barker Vormawor, acting through his lawyer, filed two separate applications challenging the treason felony charges.
The court, presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, set 11 November 2022, to rule on these applications.
After three years of legal proceedings, the Attorney General, Dominic Akurutinga Ayine, has recently dropped the charges against Barker Vormawor.
The Office of the Attorney General has yet to provide specific reasons for its decision to discontinue the case.
Reporting by Elvis Andoh
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