Court Orders Release Of Manhyia South MP’s Passport
The High Court in Accra has granted an application by Manhyia South Member of Parliament, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, seeking the release of his passport, which had been held as part of his bail conditions.
The decision was made by the Commercial Court 5 Division on Thursday, November 12, in an ongoing criminal case in which the MP is facing charges of allegedly causing financial loss to the state and money laundering.
The charges arise from legal representations he made on behalf of SIC Savings and Loans Limited in a loan recovery case, which the state alleges involved criminal conduct.
During the hearing, counsel for the MP, Samuel Atta Akyea, urged the court to release the passport, arguing that his client had no intention of absconding.
He pointed to parliamentary rules, explaining that the MP could lose his seat if he failed to attend a specified number of parliamentary sittings, a provision he said would serve as an assurance that his client would return to the country.
Deputy Attorney-General Dr Justice Srem-Sai, who represented the state, did not oppose the application.
Presiding judge, Her Ladyship Justice Charity Akosua Asem, subsequently approved the request and varied the bail condition that required the MP’s passport to be kept in the custody of the court registry.
