The High Court in Accra has acquitted and discharged social activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, ending a controversial treason trial that had lingered for two years without substantive evidence.
Barker-Vormawor was arrested in 2022 by National Security operatives for allegedly threatening a coup if Parliament passed the then-controversial Electronic Levy (E-Levy) bill. Charged with treason felony—a crime punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty—his detention sparked public outcry and concerns over free speech.
However, legal proceedings barely progressed, as the Prosecution failed to produce any evidence beyond the accused’s social media post. The case came to an abrupt end on Tuesday, March 18, when Principal State Attorney Esi Dentaa Yankah announced that the Attorney General had filed a nolle prosequi, effectively discontinuing the case.
Presiding judge Justice Mary Ekua Yanzu formally struck out the charges and discharged Barker-Vormawor, adding his case to a growing list of high-profile prosecutions abandoned since the new Attorney General took office.
Neither Barker-Vormawor nor his legal representatives were present in court when the ruling was delivered, but the activist has since taken to social media to express gratitude to those who supported him.
