The Accra High Court has ordered that Abronye DC remain in police custody after he failed to meet a key bail requirement mandating the submission of his passport to the court registry.
The decision was delivered on Thursday, June 4, 2026, by Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Bassit, sitting at the Accra High Court. The judge rejected an application that sought to amend the bail terms and instead ruled that the accused must stay in custody until the passport is handed over.
According to the court, the failure to comply with its earlier directive amounted to a serious disregard for judicial authority. In her ruling, Justice Abdul-Bassit stated:
“The court made specific orders directing the applicant to deposit his passport at the registry of the court. The applicant has failed to comply with the order, claiming that the passport is in the custody of the High Commission of the United Kingdom. This constituted a flagrant disrespect for the court’s order. This court will not condone,” Justice Abdul-Bassit reportedly said.
Abronye DC is currently facing trial on two counts: publication of false news and offensive conduct likely to provoke a breach of the peace. The case stems from alleged comments he made about a Circuit Court judge, which prosecutors argue were false and capable of undermining public confidence in the judiciary.
During the hearing, defence counsel Daniel Martey Addo asked the court to relax the bail condition requiring the deposit of the passport at the registry. He explained that the document was being held by the British High Commission Ghana and presented a receipt confirming its custody.
Counsel acknowledged that the passport had not been deposited with the court as initially ordered, but maintained that this had been addressed in a supplementary affidavit filed with the application. He further told the court that his client had academic commitments in the United Kingdom and was expected to resume studies on June 14. He also raised the possibility of travel linked to medical needs and urged the court to take those factors into account.
The prosecution, led by Principal State Attorney Joshua Sackey, opposed the request and insisted the bail conditions were binding and had been breached. He argued that the court’s order clearly required the accused to surrender his travel documents to the court registry and to seek permission before leaving the jurisdiction.
Mr Sackey further noted that although bail was granted on May 21, 2026, the receipt provided by the defence showed the passport was received by the British High Commission on May 25, 2026, several days after the bail ruling. In his submission, this meant the document was not surrendered to the court as required at the time bail was granted.
“That shows that the applicant had custody of his passport on May 21 but refused to hand it over to the registrar of the court as part of the bail conditions,” he submitted.
He also argued that concerns about education and travel could still be addressed through formal permission from the court, and urged the judge to order immediate compliance once the passport is released by the High Commission.
As part of the original bail terms, Abronye DC was granted bail on May 21, 2026, in the sum of GH¢100,000 with two sureties to be justified.
He was also directed to report to the Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters Ghana every two weeks, surrender his travel documents to the court registry, and avoid travelling outside Ghana without prior judicial approval.
