Where Is Mahran Baajour?
A 38 year old Palestinian businessman, Mahran Baajour believed to have been picked by the operatives of the Bureau of National Investigations [BNI] has still not been seen or heard of by his family.
Mr. Mahran who was visiting Ghana for the first time was picked immediately after arriving at the Kotoka International Airport[ KIA] by the BNI after going through the immigration process, on Thursday December 13th 2018.
According to Mohammed Fawzi, a family friend to Mahran Baajour , their brother has spent more than 48 hours that the laws of Ghana stipulates for a suspect to be arraigned before the law court and still our brother is nowhere to be found.
The BNI according to Mohammed Fawzi also arrested one Ahmed Saad, another Palestinian resident in Ghana who invited Mahran to explore some business opportunities in Ghana but was later released after some interrogations and a thorough search at his residence.
Mr. Fawzi questioned why the host Ahmed Saad would be released and yet still Mahran has not been released or charged with any offence by any competent court of jurisdiction. Meanwhile the family filed a writ of Habeas Corpus at the Human Rights Court in Accra which instructed that both the BNI and the Attorney General be served in order to produce Mahran Baajour in court for hearing.
Both the BNI and the Attorney Generals [AG] Department failed to appear before the court during the hearing on January 29th 2019 but did appeared at the next sitting which was held on Wednesday 6th February .
The presiding Judge, Madam Gifty Adjei Addo refused the plea of the AG for extension of time and asked also that the BNI Director present himself at the next hearing on Friday 8th February 2019.
Even though the BNI sent some junior staffs to represent the Director at the hearing, the judge refused to listen to them and demanded for the Director himself to be served to appear before the court on Friday 8th February 2019.
On what if the BNI Boss refused to appear before the court on Friday, lawyer Roberts Ekor Dassah, counsel for the plaintiffs said, the court would then have no option than to charge the Director with contempt of court because no one is above the laws of the country.
By: Mohammed Saani Ibrahim
