The National Communications officer of the National Democratic Congress Sammy Gyamfi has been released on bail few hours after he was arrested from the television station premises in Accra Monday.
Reason behind his arrest at UTV premises at Abeka was initially unclear, but it emerged later that it was based on a case of forgery and publication of false information brought against him in December last year.
One of his lawyers, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, told 3news.com that his client was formally charged and granted police bail with two sureties.
Addressing a crowd of party supporters who thronged the CID headquarters, Mr Gyamfi said no amount of intimidation and oppression can cow him into silence.
He described himself as fearless, assuring the supporters of his relentless efforts at ensuring that his NDC regain political power.
“Some of us are fearless; we cannot be intimidated. We are on course to rescue this country from the hands of those who oppress us and no amount of intimidation, no amount of harassment can cow us into silence,” he stated.
The outspoken NDC executive declined to give details of what transpired between him and the Police CID but assured that his lawyers will in the coming days address the issues in the media.
He said he has not committed any crime whatsoever, suggesting the case against him is the machination of some people at the presidency to intimidate him
“I Sammy Gyamfi, I am not a criminal, I’ve never committed a crime and no amount of concoction or fabrication from the flagstaff house can intimidate me or silence me”.
On the back of a complaint from the presidency, the CID invited Mr Gyamfi on December 23 to the Police CID headquarters in Accra for possible questioning, but officers had to postpone it to the next day due to their other engagements.
But Mr Gyamfi, who is a lawyer himself, in a letter to the Police CID, stated that he will no longer honour the invitation citing new development in the case as the basis.
“Inasmuch as we wish to honour your invitation due to the respect we have for your institution, our client instructs us that we cannot honour your invitation due to change in circumstances,” the letter written by his lawyer Godwin Kudzo Tameklo said.
The case & matters arising
Mr Gyamfi is being accused of forgery and publishing false information to create fear and panic, something he has since denied.
The CID however have secured a court order to seize Mr Gyamfi’s phone and another directed at Facebook to grant the CID full access to his Facebook account to search for evidence.
This has triggered what appears to be a legal battle between Mr Gyamfi and the Police as the former has filed an application at the Human Rights Court to enforce what he said is a breach of his fundamental human rights and freedom.
He wants the high court to quash the order of the lower court.
This development, lawyer for Mr Gyamfi argued, makes it impossible for his client to subject himself to the Police CID to be investigated for the alleged cybercrime.
“Our client has filed an application for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights at the High Court in relation to the matter being handled by your office and an application for interlocutory injunction which have both been served on you through Evelyn Owusu(Secretary),” the letter said.
The decision to turn down the invitation, the lawyer explained “is purely on the grounds that honouring your invitation especially when we have misgivings and concerns about how the whole matter has been handled”.
By 3news.com