A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwasi Kwarteng, has criticised what he describes as the growing use of excessive bail conditions in Ghana’s criminal justice system, arguing that some prosecutors impose stringent terms to punish accused persons before they are tried.
Speaking on TV3’s The Key Points programme on July 18, 2026, Kwarteng claimed that many of the tough bail conditions imposed by the courts are driven by prosecutors who fail to properly justify their requests.
According to him, the practice has effectively turned bail into a punitive tool rather than a constitutional safeguard.
“Most of the heavy bail conditions imposed on the accused are done by lazy prosecutors who want to punish you before your trial. It is not in dispute that bail has been weaponised,” he said.
Kwarteng stressed that bail should not be used as a means of punishment, noting that accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
His comments come amid ongoing public discussions about the fairness and proportionality of bail conditions in Ghana, with some legal practitioners and civil society groups calling for reforms to ensure that bail remains accessible and does not unfairly disadvantage accused persons.
