An Appeal Court has granted bail to Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu, one of the six individuals convicted in the high-profile 2024 coup plot case, as he awai
An Appeal Court has granted bail to Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu, one of the six individuals convicted in the high-profile 2024 coup plot case, as he awaits the outcome of his appeal against a death sentence.
The ruling, delivered by a three-member panel of justices led by Justice Eugene Nyadu Nyantei, marks a significant turn in the ongoing legal drama.
Exceptional Circumstances Justify Bail
According to the court, Debrah — a fleet manager by profession — successfully demonstrated “exceptional circumstances” that warranted his temporary release pending appeal.
The court set bail at GH₵2.5 million, stressing that strict conditions would accompany the decision to ensure compliance.
Under the bail terms, Debrah is required to surrender his passport to the court’s registry and is prohibited from traveling outside Ghana without express permission from the court.
Additionally, his name will be placed on a Stop List at all national entry and exit points.
The court further ordered that one of the two sureties for the bail must justify the amount with a landed property as security. Any violation of the bail terms, the court warned, would lead to immediate revocation.
Conviction and Appeal
Debrah’s legal troubles stem from the 2024 coup plot trial, which culminated in the sentencing of six individuals to death by hanging for conspiracy to commit high treason and treason.
Dissatisfied with both the verdict and the sentence, Debrah filed an appeal, asserting that his conviction was based on flawed interpretation of evidence and misapplication of the law.
While the appeal is yet to be heard, his legal team petitioned the court for bail, arguing that Debrah’s health condition and exceptional personal circumstances justified temporary release. After careful consideration, the Court panel agreed, emphasizing that granting bail in such rare cases did not amount to an overturning of the conviction.
Background: The 2024 Coup Plot Trial
The January 24, 2024 judgment that convicted Debrah and five others followed one of the longest treason trials in the recent history.
The accused persons were arrested in 2019 after security agencies uncovered what they described as a plot to destabilize the state and overthrow the Akufo-Addo-led government.
The prosecution alleged that the accused had been manufacturing weapons and planning coordinated attacks to seize control of key government installations. Evidence presented in court included locally manufactured weapons, video recordings of secret meetings, and statements implicating members of a civil group known as “Take Action Ghana (TAG)”.
Among the convicts were two civilians — Donya Kafui, alias Ezor, a blacksmith, and Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu, the fleet manager. Both were found guilty of conspiracy to commit treason and treason.
Another civilian, Johannes Zikpi, a Ghana Armed Forces employee, was convicted for conspiracy to commit high treason.
Three military personnel — Warrant Officer II Esther Saan Dekuwine, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, and Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon — were also found guilty of conspiring to commit high treason.
However, three senior security officers, including Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Benjamin Agordzo, Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, and Corporal Seidu Abubakar, were acquitted and discharged due to insufficient evidence linking them directly to the alleged plot.
The Death of Dr. Frederick Mac-Palm
The case gained further attention following the sudden death of Dr. Frederick Yao Mac-Palm, the Chief Executive Officer of the Citadel Hospital in Alajo and alleged ringleader of the group.
Dr. Mac-Palm, who was standing trial alongside the others, was said to have collapsed at home and was pronounced dead at the hospital before the trial concluded.
Dr. Mac-Palm, a U.S.-trained medical doctor and founder of TAG, had long maintained that his organization’s mission was to promote social change through civic engagement, not violence.
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