The private legal practitioner who initiated the legal action that led to the Supreme Court\u2019s decision to strike out Ghana\u2019s law on non-bailable offences, has described that law as oppressive.<\/p>\n
Before the decision, suspects facing charges such as treason, subversion, murder, robbery, hijacking, piracy, rape and defilement or escape from lawful custody could not be granted bail.<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court, however, delivered a ruling that struck out this law in the case, Martin \u00a0Kpebu vrs the Attorney General, which was filed in February 2015.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”mrS4WY8yPkNIklA3NBriFGOkdKIkIxCe”]In an interview with Citi News\u2019<\/strong> Richard Dela Sky on Eyewitness News<\/strong>, Mr. Kpebu said that the oppressive nature of the law was what motivated him to file the case.<\/p>\n \u201cI was largely motivated by the oppressive nature of the law. That Section 92 (7) is one law that is very oppressive, many lawyers can attest to that. I am happy that we have struck down this law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He added that the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling means that the Attorney General\u2019s Department and the police would be made to sit up when it comes to cases of such nature.<\/p>\n \u201cThis decision will bring about great reforms. The Attorney General and the police will sit up because people who have been hurt by those who were charged for cases like rape, defilement, murder and narcotics will pressurize the police to conduct the investigations quickly after they see that those who were charged have been released on bail.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUntil the law was struck down, some people were in police custody for years without conviction, with some dockets even getting lost.\u201d<\/p>\n By: Jeffrey Owuraku Sarpong\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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