Nana Yaw Osei, lawyer for Gregory Afoko, has claimed that his client’s trial for the murder of Adams Mahama, former Upper East Regional Chairman of the NPP, was politically motivated.
The case dates back to 2015, when Afoko was accused of conspiring to murder Mahama, who died after being attacked with acid.
Afoko’s trial began in 2015, and he has since spent nine years in detention. In April 2023, a jury returned a 4-verdict of not guilty against Afoko on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and murder. However, a retrial was ordered, and Afoko’s lawyers filed for bail, which was recently granted by the Accra High Court.
Speaking to Tv3 after Afoko was granted bail, Nana Yaw Osei alleged that some high-ranking members of the NPP influenced the trial, leading to Afoko being denied bail multiple times.
“Personally, I have always thought that Afoko’s trial had more to do with politics than a simple criminal trial. Where politics means that there were people within his big brother’s party who wanted to do him ill,” Osei stated.
The lawyer specifically pointed to NPP members who had fallen out with Afoko’s brother, Paul Afoko, a former national chairman of the party, as being responsible for the interference in the trial.
He questioned the police’s decision not to bring someone to execute a bail bond, suggesting that someone was “clearly pushing the police.”
“Why will the police decide that they will not bring somebody to come and execute a bail bond? What interest do the police have? Somebody was clearly pushing the police, and I say this without any contradiction; I am very clear in my mind,” Osei said.
Despite these concerns, Osei is optimistic that the police will now handle the matter professionally.
Afoko was today granted bail of GHC500,000 by the Accra High Court, with conditions including two sureties and regular reporting to the authorities.