Accra High Court reduces Osei Assibey Antwi’s bail bond from GH₵800M to GH₵623M

The Accra High Court has granted an application to modify the bail terms of former Director General of the National Service Authority, Osei Assibey Antwi, reducing the amount from GH₵800 million to GH₵623 million.

Counsel for the embattled former National Service Authority Director implored the court to modify the bail terms, emphasizing that the original amount was the highest in the history of bail conditions in the country.

Lead counsel for Assibey Antwi, Alex Osei Wusu, argued that the substantive intention of the bail—eliminating flight risk—had been met, as his client’s passports had been availed to the court and he had been placed on a no-flight list.

However, Osei Wusu noted that it was impossible to present properties valued at GH₵800 million.

The current bail terms, which require properties valued at GH₵800 million, are equivalent to $80 million at an exchange rate of one dollar to GH₵10, according to Osei Wusu.

This means that even if the applicant can secure property worth $1 million, which is the average cost of a house in a Grade A area in Accra, he would need to provide 80 such houses.

In effect, the applicant would have to provide all the houses in East Legon. The prosecution, led by Principal State Attorney Dufie Prempeh, opposed the application for bail variation, arguing that the conditions were reasonable.

She noted that the former National Service Authority Director could find suitable sureties, given his previous role as Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court granted the application to vary the bail terms, setting the new amount at GH₵623 million with six sureties to be justified.

All other original bail conditions remain in place. Osei Assibey Antwi has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including stealing, causing financial loss to the state, and money laundering.