Adwoa Safo petitions AG to transfer shooting case to High Court

The former Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has petitioned the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice to review and transfer a criminal case arising from an alleged shooting incident involving her and eight other accused persons from the Adenta Circuit Court to the High Court.

In a petition dated June 25, 2026, her lawyers argued that the Adenta Circuit Court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case because the principal offence is a first-degree felony, which is triable only by the High Court.

Adwoa Safo was allegedly shot at multiple times on June 21 while sitting in her vehicle outside the residence of her brother, Nana Kwadwo Safo Akofena, who is listed as one of the accused persons in the case.

The petition alleged that she sustained serious injuries to the left side of her face, the back of her head, her left ear and lower jaw, with bullet fragments lodged in her skull.

It further claims that her Toyota Land Cruiser Prado sustained visible gunshot damage.

The brother of the former MP and eight others were arrested and sent to court. They were later granted bail in the sum of GH¢500,000 with two sureties.

The accused were charged with the use of an offensive weapon, possession of explosives, firearms and ammunition, use of vigilante groups and activities, discharging guns in town, and causing unlawful damage.

However, the lawyers for the former MP argued that the offence involving the use of an offensive weapon to intentionally and unlawfully cause harm is a first-degree felony and should therefore be tried on indictment before the High Court.

“Respectfully, the offence of intentionally and unlawfully causing harm with the use of an offensive weapon is a first-degree felony and is triable on indictment before the High Court, not the Circuit Court,” the petition stated.

The lawyers further contended that the Circuit Court “lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter, let alone consider an application for bail in respect of the Accused persons.”

They are asking the Attorney-General to call for the police docket, review the case, and have it refiled before the High Court to enable what they described as a full and expeditious trial.

“In view of the aforesaid, we have been duly instructed to petition your office to call for the docket, review and have the case filed at the High Court for the matter to go through full trial in an expeditious manner,” the petition said.

Copies of the petition were sent to the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Presiding Judge of the Adenta Circuit Court, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department, the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander and Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo.