A 61-year old pensioner, Nii Odoi Kwao II, alias Robert Koomson, who is accused of slapping the Greater Accra regional minister, Henry Quartey, has been granted bail.
He was admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢50,000.00 with two sureties, who should be family members by an Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Samuel Bright Acquah, yesterday.
The accused, who is said to be a family head of Minister Henry Quartey allegedly, slapped the latter, due to confusion that ensued in traffic at Osu, in Accra, somewhere last week.
Nii Odoi Kwao II, alias Robert Koomson, a Computer Programmer, was first arraigned last week Friday, November 9, 2022 and was denied bail, despite a prayer by his defence counsel.
Mr Acquah has ordered the accused to reappear before it, in January next year.
Brief facts
According to the Prosecuting Officer, the complainant in the case is a police officer stationed at VVIP and attached to the Greater Accra regional minister, as his dispatch rider, while the accused is a retired Computer Programmer who lives at Osu, in Accra.
He said on December 8, 2022 at about 1:10pm, Mr Quartey, together with his security details were visiting Osu and on reaching a section of the road, he observed that the accused had blocked it with his Kia Bongo car, preventing the Minister and others from accessing the road.
The court was informed that the complainant signalled the accused to give way to him and the other road users, but he refused and retorted that nobody can access the road unless he finishes with what he was doing.
“The action of the accused person created a heavy traffic jam on that stretch of the road. Based on that, the Honourable Minister decided to advise the accused person to move his car from the road, but the accused person ignored the Regional Minister,” the court was told.
The accused, according to the prosecution, rather became violent and threatened that if the Regional Minister gets closer to him (Nii Odoi Kwao II), he will kill him (Mr Quartey).
In addition to the threat, the accused resorted to using of offensive words on the minister, including a claim that he is a thief and has stolen state money but is moving freely.
The prosecutor, describing the sequence of events, said the accused later abandoned the vehicle in the middle of the road, locked it, removed the ignition key, kept same in his pocket, rushed on the Regional minister and slapped him.
It was at this instance that the security details of the regional minister, who the court suggests should be changed, moved in swiftly to arrest the accused person and handed him over to the Regional Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Accra.
The accused allegedly admitted to the offence in his caution statement during investigation and was accordingly charged with the offences and brought before the court for trial.
