Bull Dog’s comment serious threat against Akufo-Addo – Witness
A witness, testifying in the case where Lawrence Nana Asiamah Hanson, known as Bull Dog, is alleged to have threatened President Akufo-Addo, said the accused’s comment could incite the public against the president.
Theodosia Antwiwaa Appiah, the second prosecution witness, also said the statement by the artiste manager could mar the peace in the country.
“I considered the comment as a serious threat to the President and likely to breach the peace in the country. Unfortunately, the Menzgold saga has claimed so many lives, but Bulldog is a public figure with many followers.
“What he was saying might have an impact on the ordinary Ghanaian. We all know that Menzgold doesn’t belong to the president but a private business, and when the income was coming, it wasn’t going to the president, and no one was commending the president. All that we were hearing was Nana Appiah.
“The company has collapsed, and Bull Dog thinks it is the president who has caused all this which shouldn’t be so. This is just to incite people against the president. That is why I said it’s likely to breach the peace of the nation,” the witness said.
The prosecution witness, who is also a complainant in the case, responded to questions by counsel for Bull Dog Jerry Avenorgbo.
Mr Avenorgbo then asked if she had seen any individual or group cause chaos after watching the said programme on United Television.
To which, she simply said ‘No’. She added, “I don’t need to see anyone in that act before I report to the police”.
Before this witness, actress Nana Ama McBrown, who is also the host of the programme on which Bull Dog passed the comment, has testified.
She was the first prosecution witness.
Why is Bull Dog in court?
The artiste manager is alleged to have said, “President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will not finish his four-year term if he failed to pay customers of an alleged Ponzi scheme by Menzgold’ on UTV’s United showbiz.
Hanson denied the charge of “offensive conduct to breaches of the peace.”
The court admitted Hanson to a former bail of GH¢ 70,000.
Facts
The new facts presented by the prosecution were that the complainants in the case are citizens and regular viewers of the UTV program dubbed “United Showbiz,” hosted by Nana Ama Agyemang Mcbrown, live every Saturday between the hours of 9 pm and 11 pm.
Chief Inspector Apiorsornu said during the January 9th edition of the program, the issue of Menzgold was raised, and Hanson quickly responded that “The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo will not finish his four-year tenure if he failed to pay Menzgold customers.”
The prosecution said on January 11, the police intercepted the said video recording on the Facebook page of UTV, which attracted many comments from viewers who watched and heard the accused making those “unguided” comments.
On January 12, Hanson was handed over to the police by the National Intelligence Bureau for investigations.
In the course of the investigations, the police requested the original video recording from UTV, and it was played to the accused, and he admitted having made those comments.
The prosecution said the original video, which was in Twi and English language, was forwarded to the Ghana Institute of Languages for transcription.