Court refuses to grant former Ivorian Minister Justine Kone Katinan bail in Ghana

Justine Kone Katinan, a former Ivorian minister in Laurent Gbagbo’s administration who has been arrested by the Ghanaian security and is being held by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) has been refused bail by the Human Rights Court in Ghana. The presiding judge Justice Essel-Mensah ruled that the extradition charges brought against Mr. Kone even though not within his jurisdiction and while not also trying to prejudice the extradition process, are cogent enough for the case to

tried at the appropriate court.  “Although counsel for the applicant made brilliant submissions, I cannot pre-empt or prejudice the case. I cannot truncate the extradition process because such issues are not before me,” the presiding judge, Mr Justice Kofi Essel-Mensah, pointed out. continued