The Accra High Court has refused a bail application for Daniel Owusu Koranteng, the lead suspect in the murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Suale.
Lawyers for the accused person took the case up at the higher court after being denied by the Madina district court.
In court on Monday, April 14, Koranteng’s lawyers led by Isaac Kofi Essel argued that the facts of the case presented by the prosecution were baseless, thus not grounded in law.
He noted that the allegation that he exposed the identity of the late journalist wasn’t factual because Ahmed Suale had written a piece about former Attorney General, Martin Amidu, on his Facebook page which had his picture, dismissing any such links of identity reveal to their client.
He again argued that claims that Daniel led two others to the home of Suale were inconsistent because the prosecution had earlier noted that call records placed the accused within the vicinity of the late journalist days before his death.
Addressing further allegations of fleeing the country to evade investigations, Kofi Essel noted that his client travelled in September 2019 and not in January as suggested by the prosecution. He added that Daniel authored a documentary about persons selling unapproved herbal medicine and showed the court an exhibit of a letter addressed to the Ghana Police Service to undertake a swoop in August 2022 and October 2024.
He stated that all this evidence showed that his client did not run away from justice.
But state prosecutors led by Maame Afua Osei Gyamerah vehemently opposed the bail application.
She rehashed the facts of the case and argued that the accused person had only been in custody for a month.
She stated that for a murder investigation, one month was inadequate to complete the investigations and prayed the court to deny the bail application. The prosecution maintained that admitting him to bail would jeopardise the progress of the investigation.
“It is our case that this instant application is premature. The applicant was arrested on March 15 which is just about a month ago. At this stage counsel seeking concrete evidence in the case of murder which is of national interest pending police investigation is jumping the gun.
“It is instructive to note that counsel titling the application pending police investigation, from counsel’s supplementary affidavit which I had the opportunity to peruse, can be safely inferred that the later filing of an amended charge sheet by the police at the Madina District court that day in day out, new developments in the case arise, giving credence to the fact that investigations are ongoing in earnest and police are working on.
“Application filed less than a month after his arrest is unjust since investigations haven’t been concluded and considering that this is a case of murder are unlikely to be concluded soon. Till the Police conclude their investigations it’s our urgent prayer that this instant application is refused.
However, if my lady is minded to exercise her discretion to grant bail in favour of the applicant, we pray that the terms are such that the applicant has no choice but to come to court,” she said.
Justice Lydia Osei Marfo after listening to the arguments, refused the bail application of Daniel Owusu Koranteng and remanded him into prison custody.
Meanwhile, the case continues at the Madina District Court on Thursday, April 17.
Source: 3news.com