Emmanuel Kwakye Asare, a journalist with Kumasi-based Wontumi FM, has been granted bail after spending two weeks in police custody.
He was arrested on August 12, 2025, and charged with one count of offensive conduct for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
On Wednesday, the court granted him bail set at GH₵100,000 with two sureties, both of whom must be civil servants. His lawyers are currently working to meet the bail conditions.
Asare is expected back in court on September 1, 2025, as the case proceeds.
The charges stem from comments he made on-air, alleging that President John Dramani Mahama had prior knowledge of the August 6 helicopter crash that claimed eight lives.
State prosecutors opposed bail, arguing that investigations were still ongoing. However, Presiding Judge Samuel Bright Acquah ruled that he had no grounds to deny the application, though he cited judicial precedence—including a case in which a young man was remanded for insulting then-President Akufo-Addo—as part of his consideration.
