Alleged Kantamanto market arsonist granted GH¢300,000 bail
A teacher accused of setting sections of the Kantamanto Market on fire on Tuesday appeared before the Kaneshie District Court, in Accra.
Charged with causing unlawful damage, Daniel Komla Dah pleaded not guilty.
The court presided over by Ms. Rosemary Egyiri admitted him to bail in the sum of GH¢300,000 with two sureties to be justified. The sureties, the court said, should provide residential addresses within the jurisdiction.
The court further ordered the accused person to report to the Police on the first Monday of every month. Dah is to reappear on January 4, next year.
Earlier Dah’s lawyer, Mr. Theophilus Donkor had prayed the court to admit his client to bail.
According to Mr. Donkor, per Article 19 (2) (c) accused was presumed innocent until he is proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Mr. Donkor said his client was arrested on December 18, this year but had been kept in custody up to date.
“The Police has committed an illegality by keeping him in their custody and they have also breached the mandatory 48 hour rule,” he said.
Defense Counsel said Dah was a subject teacher at Tsito–Awudome in the Volta Region but resides in Ho together with his family.
Prosecution led by Detective Sergeant Richard Amoah opposed to bail saying when Dah was granted bail he would interfere with Police investigations.
According to Detective Sergeant Amoah, investigation into the matter has just begun and the police were afraid when Dah was granted bail he would interfere with evidence on his Facebook account.
He said the Police was seeking the order of the court to access his Facebook account details of the suspect.
“The bail would not restrict him to access to his Facebook account,” he added.
The facts of prosecution is that accused resides at Ho in the Volta Region.
He said on December 15, this year, there was a fire outbreak at Kantamnato in which lots of stores and goods and other properties running into several millions of Ghana cedis were burnt.
Prosecution said the “cause of the fire is suspected to be an act of arson.”
The Prosecution said on December 18, this year, the suspect was arrested at Ho for investigation and it was revealed that Dah is a member of a Facebook group chat platform called NDC Administrator.
According to prosecution, on December 14, this year, accused posted a message on their platform to wit “we are burning Kantamanto tomorrow.”
According to the Prosecution the accused has in his cautioned statement denied the offence.
Meanwhile the prosecution said investigations is ongoing.
Source: GNA