Oliver Barker Vormawor, the convener of #FixTheCountry, has once again been denied permission to proceed with his treason trial.
More than two years after the allegations were filed against him, the trial was scheduled to start on Monday, May 20, 2024.
For posting on social media that the government considered treasonous, Oliver Barker-Vormawor was taken into custody in February 2022.
Attorneys for Oliver Barker-Vormawor filed an application on April 29 of this year opposing the constitutionality of the offense and requesting that the case be forwarded to the Supreme Court from the High Court of Accra.
To prepare for a potential trial, the sitting judge was set to rule on those unresolved matters in court on Monday. But as it turned out, the state didn’t reply to Mr. Barker-Vormawor’s attorneys’ application until this morning.
After the adjournment, Mr Barker-Vormawor could not contain his annoyance when speaking with the media at the courthouse.
“You can still see the sham and the events that have occurred thus far. For so long, those who thought that we were a threat to our country and who paraded more than fifty armed men and snipers have been unable to support their claims with the proof needed for this trial.
The activist, whose stance some claim could be detrimental to his case, has been outspoken in his criticism of the authorities on social media over what appears to be a delay in starting the trial.
But Mr Barker-Vormawor thinks otherwise. He called the state’s posturing a “charade” in the same interview with JoyNews, and he questioned why it hasn’t responded to the application promptly to allow for the eagerly anticipated trial.
“They should appear in court and prove that to the average Ghanaian if they think that we were planning to overthrow this government,” he said.
In addition, he questioned the type of democracy Ghana practices and urged the government to produce evidence so the trial could begin.
The judge is expected to pass a ruling on the constitutionality of the offence and the issue of jurisdiction when it reconvenes on May 27 to make way for the trial to commence.
