The painter accused of stealing electrical wires from the Bank of Ghana building at Ridge in Accra had his bail request denied by an Accra Circuit Court on Wednesday.
Ahmed Mohammed Lawal is charged with GH₵1,035,500 worth of theft of various copper cables. He has refuted the accusations of theft and illegal entrance.
Nii Martey Korley, Lawal’s attorney, requested bail for his client in an Accra circuit court on Wednesday, stating that he did not pose a flight risk and had a permanent residence in Accra Newtown.
According to the defense attorney, Lawal had a paying job and had assisted with police inquiries.
Once more, the defense attorney ruled that his client had “substantial” independent sureties who were prepared to guarantee his presence in court when required.
Counsel pointed out to the court that Lawal had been detained for more than a month and that he needed to be released on bond so that he could get ready for his trial defense.
The prosecution, under the leadership of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Augustin Kingsley Oppong, did not object to the bail being granted, claiming that the court should make that decision.
It told the court that the accused had returned GHC 2,000 and that the police were almost done with their probe.
The stolen wires, however, had not yet been recovered by the police.
“Application for bail is refused, accused person to remain in custody,” said Mr. Isaac Addo, the relieving judge.
Samuel Nii Tettey and Davidson Mensah Otinkorang, the complainants in this case, are the safety officer and electrical engineer, respectively, at the new Bank of Ghana building, where construction is still going on.
According to ASP Oppong, on February 16, 2025, the complainants discovered that amounts of 1c x 240 and 1c x 300 square copper wires, worth at GH₵1,035, 500, had been taken by someone who had entered into the Energy farm on the property.
This made it necessary to examine the CCTV footage, which showed the accused and two other people removing copper lines from the Energy Farm. Electrical cable bundles were stored there.
The accused was apprehended by the complainants and turned over to the police, according to the prosecution.
Investigations showed that the accused and two other people on the loose entered the Energy Farm via a scaffold, cut the copper lines with a sharp tool, and then took them away.
Subsequent inquiry revealed that the accused sold the cables to a person at Kwame Nkrumah Circle for GH₵2,000.
However, Lawal was unable to get the police to detain the “dishonest receiver” and his accomplices.
It has been postponed until April 2, 2025.
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