Akuapem Poloo granted GHC80,000 bail
The social media starlet has got her freedom back, pending the outcome of an appeal filed by her lawyer after she was sentenced to 90 days in prison
The Ghanaian actress Rosemond Alade Brown, popularly known as Akuapem Poloo, has been granted bail in the sum of GHC80,000 a few days after being sentenced to serve 90 days in jail.
Her lawyer has also filed an appeal against the jail term.
Granting the bail plea on Wednesday, the judge ordered Akuapem Poloo to deposit her passport with the court registrar and to report to the case investigator every two weeks.
Poloo was convicted of publishing obscene materials and two counts of engaging in domestic violence.
She pleaded guilty to all three charges and was convicted on her own plea by an Accra circuit court, presided over by Christina Cann.
A cross-section of the public, including the communications officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, and the American rapper Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, known professionally as Cardi B, have all described the sentence as harsh.
Notice of appeal
In the notice of appeal at the high court, Akuapem Poloo’s lawyer Andrews Kudzo Vortia pleaded:
“… that the 90-day sentence is so short that if the applicant is not admitted to bail immediately by the time the appeal is heard, she would have finished serving the sentence.
“That the convict/appellant pleaded guilty simpliciter and was convicted on her own plea and on all counts and sentenced to 90 days IHL all counts to run concurrently.
“That I am advised by counsel and verily believe so to be true that there has been a grave miscarriage of justice and that the trial judge erred in considering only aggravating factors in arriving at her decision . . .
“We verily believe that the following exceptional circumstances existed in this case which the trial court ought to have duly considered.”
The case
The facts as narrated by the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Agartha Asantewaa, were that the complainant, Bright K Appiah, the director of Child Rights International Ghana, petitioned the director general of CID about a nude photo, posted on Instagram by Akuapem Poloo, which had gone viral.
The prosecution said on 30 June last year, the actress celebrated her son’s seventh birthday and took her pictures of herself posing nude together with the boy, who was also half-naked, and posted the images on her Instagram page. They went viral on social media.
The pictures attracted comments, prosecutors said, adding that Brown’s behaviour was likely to detract from the dignity of her young son, among other things.
The prosecution said the complainant petitioned the director general of the CID and the matter was referred to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU).
Brown, the prosecution said, was arrested. In her caution statement, she admitted to posting the nude picture with her son but said she did so unintentionally.
A caption accompanying the picture read: “I am naked in front of you because this is how naked I was giving birth to you, so in case you find me lying somewhere don’t pass by but see me as your mom who brought you to life.”
The prosecution argued that Brown deliberately posted the picture of herself posing nude together with her partly clothed son.
Fred Dzakpata
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