A private legal practitioner, Kwame Adofo, has raised concerns over what he describes as a growing pattern of arrests without prosecution, warning that the practice risks undermining due process and public confidence in law enforcement.
Speaking on Asaase Radio’s Big Bulletin with Frtiz Delanyo Amegashie on Wednesday (13 May), Adofo said recent arrests linked to alleged misinformation and statements said to cause public panic appear excessive, particularly where suspects are not promptly charged.
“If they do have charges readily available, then they shouldn’t wait long. They should immediately tell him what the charges are and put him before the court,” he said.
He noted that in several recent cases, individuals have been arrested, detained for days, granted bail under stringent conditions, and then released without being formally charged.
“So it appears that they are using the arrests as a form of intimidation and no more,” Adofo said, adding that such a pattern raises legitimate questions about prosecutorial intent.
The comments follow a series of arrests involving members of the opposition New Patriotic Party, including the re-arrest of Bono Regional Chairman Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, and Agona West constituency organiser David Essandor.
Authorities have maintained that the arrests are part of ongoing investigations into alleged misinformation and statements capable of disturbing public order.
However, Adofo argued that the constitutional requirement to either charge suspects or present them before court within a reasonable time must be strictly adhered to.
“You can arrest people, but within 48 hours, as the law says, you must put them before the court and file charges. When you don’t, people are allowed to question why you arrested them in the first place,” he said.
While acknowledging that some cases may still be under investigation, the lawyer said the frequency of arrests without follow-through risks being interpreted as an abuse of prosecutorial power.
“It’s becoming too many,” he said. “You cannot continue arresting people, giving them bail, and leaving them without prosecution in a democracy.”
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