The Ashaiman District Court on Monday ordered the removal of #FixTheCountry Movement convener Oliver Barker-Vormawor from its premises.
The social media firebrand is said to have used certain unprintable words in the courtroom, leaving the trial magistrate Eleanor Kakra Barnes Botwe, infuriated.
The drama unfolded as Barker-Vormawor started shouting on top of his voice during proceedings.
“We have not asked for bail. This is a kangaroo process. The bench has not covered itself in glory. I am not going to glorify a sham,” he screamed.
The magistrate urged the lawyers to restrain the accused person, but the youth activist again said, “This process is a sham.”
Having had enough of his tantrums, the magistrate ordered his removal from the courtroom.
As a common practice, accused persons are not at liberty to address the court unless the accused has been directed to do so or in circumstances where the plea of the accused was being taken or is made to testify as a witness.
Barker-Vormawor’s outburst comes after his counsel, Justice Srem Sai, had inquired about the court’s authority to deal with matters that affect the liberty of the accused.
Mr Sai had wanted to know “whether this court has the jurisdiction to determine the personal liberty for there is no point in bringing the prisoner to a court for his liberty to be decided when that court has no capacity or jurisdiction to determine”.
But state prosecution led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Sylvester Asare maintained that the court had the appropriate jurisdiction.
He said the case was at the right forum since the charge of treason felony levelled against the accused was an indictable offence.
DSP Asare argued that such cases must commence at the District Court, then proceed to the High Court.
The magistrate then remanded Mr Barker-Vormawor’s legal team that she had earlier ruled that she had the mandate to remand the accused person and that if they wanted to request bail, the appropriate forum is the High Court.
How it all started
The accused was arrested on February 11 by the Tema Regional Police Command following a post he allegedly made on social media to the effect that he would stage a coup himself if the E-Levy Bill was passed by Parliament.
“The post contained a clear statement of intent with a possible will to execute a coup in his declaration of intent to subvert the constitution of the Republic of Ghana,” the police statement dated 12 February 2022, signed by the Director-General of Public Affairs, DCOP Kwesi Ofori said.
After his post, a section of Ghanaians who found his comments distasteful poured out on social media to call the Ghana Police Service to arrest him.
He was arraigned on Monday, 14 February 2022, and has been on remand since his first Ashaiman District court appearance.
Mr Barker-Vormawor has been charged with treason felony, but he pleaded innocence.
#FixTheCountry describes itself as a non-partisan, non-aligned civic movement by Ghanaian youths for Ghana.
#FixTheCountry was birthed in 2021 via online protests after the government announced price hikes in fuel and telecommunication services.
The price increase was happening at a time of frequent power.
Other concerns highlighted by the angry social media users included high taxes, unemployment, dilapidated health system, high accommodation rate, poor road networks, and general hardships.
The group subsequently held a series of demonstrations and continued their online protests against government policies they believed were inimical to ordinary Ghanaians.
Most recently, #FixTheCountry submitted a petition to President Nana Akufo-Addo demanding the head of the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, over the inability of the Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Likpe (SALL) residents to vote for a representative in parliament.
Currently, SALL, which is in the Guan District, has no representation in parliament.
In the petition, Mr Barker-Vormawor had argued that the conduct of the EC officials in the SALL matter “meets the threshold of stated misbehaviour and, or incompetence as required under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution for the removal of these officials”.
#FixTheCountry insisted that the actions and inactions of the EC boss caused the people of SALL to lose their fundamental human rights.
There were 46 signatories to the petition, including residents of SALL.