Tema High Court Dismisses Barker-Vormawor’s Habeas Corpus Application

The Tema High Court has dismissed an application by Mr. Oliver Barker-Vormawor for his release from police custody over the controversial allegations against him by the Ghana Police Service that his Facebook post was a treasonous offense.

The habeas corpus application sought to get the court to instruct the Police to release the man who is being held over his alleged threat to stage a coup over the e-levy tax was rejected.

But the Court, presided over by Justice Daniel Mensah on Thursday, February 17, 2022, held that there had been an intervening event of Barker-Vormawor being presented before a District Court of which a bail application had been refused and therefore he cannot grant the application.

He is expected to reappear at the Ashaiman District Court on February 28, 2022.

A habeas corpus is a writ issued by a court directing one who holds another in custody to produce the person before the court for a specified purpose.

The legal team for Barker-Vormawor led by Professor Raymond Atuguba had filed the application at the Tema High Court for the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Attorney-General to appear before the court to justify the continued detention of Barker-Vormawor.

Mr. Barker-Vormawor had played on words by saying he intends to personally conduct a coup against the widely rejected e-levy being forced down the throats of Ghanaians by the Akufo Addo administration.

This was after Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, had cut a cake baked in the spelling of the obnoxious tax at his 65th birthday, provoking anger.