The High Court ‘1’ in Bolgatanga has acquitted and discharged a head-teacher who was made to stand a criminal trial for six years.
Zumah Baba, better known as John Yaro, was charged with “Defrauding by False Pretense Contrary to Section 131 of the Criminal Offences Act, Act 29/60” and put before court.
The Justice and Attorney-General’s Department in the Upper East region led the prosecution with assistance from some police officers.
Yaro pleaded not guilty to the charge. Countless residents of the region believe he was “persecuted” and not “prosecuted” because he has been criticising a number of corrupt powers in Talensi, his hometown district, and in the region for doing nothing about some serious human rights abuses perpetrated against members of his community and for which Shaanxi Mining Company Limited, a Chinese mining firm, has been widely held responsible.
The foreign company, which is now known as Earl International Group (Ghana) Gold Limited, has been operating in Talensi since 2008.
Yaro made his first court appearance on this case on Tuesday, 6 November 2018. He spent about one month, from November 6 to December 8 in 2018, on remand at the Navrongo Central Prisons before the case continued amid several adjournments and ended today, 16 July 2024.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) was influenced to interdict him because of the prosecution. He has been on interdiction since March, 2019, with his salary constantly slashed by half from that time to date.
It was difficult many times for him to pay his legal fees as the case ran in a six-year marathon from 2018 to 2024, friends and fellow anti-oppression activists coming to his rescue at times.
“At the conclusion of the trial, this court finds that the charge against the accused has not been proved beyond reasonable doubt. The accused is acquitted and discharged accordingly,” Justice Charles Adjei Wilson said in his judgment today.
Some of those who support the corrupt powers (in whose flesh Yaro has been a thorn) and wanted him jailed were in court today, attentive with bated breath.
They were hopeful that judgment would go against him and all set to have the verdict quickly aired, published and widely shared on social media platforms with merriment.
But they left the court premises, very disappointed and extremely bitter— the same feeling the other members of their network, who did not come to court, would have when informed later about the outcome of the marathon “persecution” against a man who may henceforth be hailed as “Talensi Mandela” for his heroism and years of trials.
More details coming up later on this story.
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.com/Ghana
