Hopeson Adorye discharged in alleged dynamite detonation case

The Dansoman Circuit Court, presided over by Her Honour Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Bassit, has discharged Hopeson Yaovi Adorye after the prosecution repeatedly failed to advance its case.

The court held that the matter — pending since May 2024 — suffered multiple adjournments at the instance of the prosecution, despite the case file being referred to the Attorney-General’s Department for advice.

According to the presiding judge, Adorye’s plea was first taken on May 23, 2024, but the prosecution made no substantive progress. The case was adjourned several times — on June 26, July 31, October 9, and November 28, 2024, and again on February 3, July 31, and October 15, 2025 — without any concrete action.

Mr. Adorye, a former member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who now affiliates with the Movement for Change, had been charged with publication of false news, contrary to Section 208(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

The charge stemmed from comments he made in a viral video, where he claimed to have hired five individuals from the Volta Region to throw “dynamites” along the Ghana–Togo border during the 2016 general elections to deter illegal voting.

The alleged statement was made during an appearance on Accra FM’s “Citizen Show,” hosted by Nana Otu Darko.

In his caution statement, Mr. Adorye admitted to exaggerating his comments, clarifying that “firecrackers,” not dynamite, were used.

He was granted GH¢200,000 bail with two sureties, one to be justified, and was required to report to the police weekly during the pendency of the case.

With the case now struck out for lack of prosecution, the court’s ruling effectively brings the matter to a close unless fresh charges are filed.