Akuapem Poloo freed after meeting bail terms

The Ghanaian actress, Rosemond Alade Brown, popularly known as Akuapem Poloo, was on Friday 23 April released from the Nsawam prison.

Her release is coming barely three days after she was granted bail in the sum of GHC80,000 after being sentenced to serve 90 days in jail.

Her lawyer had earlier filed an appeal against the jail term.

Granting the bail plea on Wednesday, the judge ordered Akuapem Poloo to deposit her passport with the court registrar and to report to the case investigator every two weeks.

Poloo was convicted of publishing obscene materials and two counts of engaging in domestic violence.

She pleaded guilty to all three charges and was convicted on her own plea by an Accra circuit court, presided over by Christina Cann.

A cross-section of the public, including the communications officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, and the American rapper Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, known professionally as Cardi B, have all described the sentence as harsh.

 Notice of appeal

In the notice of appeal at the high court, Akuapem Poloo’s lawyer Andrews Kudzo Vortia pleaded:

“… that the 90-day sentence is so short that if the applicant is not admitted to bail immediately by the time the appeal is heard, she would have finished serving the sentence.

“That the convict/appellant pleaded guilty simpliciter and was convicted on her own plea and on all counts and sentenced to 90 days IHL all counts to run concurrently.

“That I am advised by counsel and verily believe so to be true that there has been a grave miscarriage of justice and that the trial judge erred in considering only aggravating factors in arriving at her decision . . .

“We verily believe that the following exceptional circumstances existed in this case which the trial court ought to have duly considered.”

Background

An Accra circuit court  a week ago sentenced the actress Rosemond Alade Brown, aka Akuapem Poloo, to 90 days in prison for displaying nude photographs of herself posing with her son on social media.

Poloo was already being held on charges of publishing obscene materials and two counts of engaging in domestic violence.

She pleaded guilty to all three charges and was convicted on her own plea by the court presided over by Christina Cann.

The facts as narrated by the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Agatha Asantewaa, were that the complainant, Bright K Appiah, the director of Child Rights International Ghana, had petitioned the director general of the Criminal Investigation Department about a nude photo posted on Instagram by Akuapem Poloo which had gone viral.

The prosecution said that on 30 June last year, Brown marked her son’s seventh birthday by taking a picture of herself nude together with her son, who was also half naked, and posting the image on her Instagram page.

The picture went viral on social media and attracted many comments, the prosecution said, adding that the behaviour of the accused person was likely to detract from the dignity of her son, among other nuisances.

The prosecution said the complainant petitioned the director general of the CID and the matter was referred to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU). Brown was then arrested. In her caution statement, she admitted to posting the nude picture featuring her son but said she did so unintentionally.

Fred Dzakpata

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