A leading member of the #FixTheCountry movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has been charged with treason.
This is an offense provided for in Section 182(b) of Ghana's Crimes Act.
It states, "Section 182 - Treason Felony. A person is guilty of treason and shall be punished as for a crime of the first degree who -.
(b) by unlawful means prepares or attempts to carry out a scheme to usurp the executive power of the State in a matter of both a public and general nature."
Last Thursday, Vormawor threatened a coup on social media after pictures surfaced of the majority leader's 65th birthday celebration showing a cake designed by Elevy.
He wrote, "If this E-Levy gets through after this cake bullshit, I will coup myself. Useless army!"
In a later post, he explained the context in which he used the word coup.
He was arrested Friday night after arriving from the UK and there was no word on his whereabouts for hours.
Police later issued a statement about Mr. Barker-Vormawor's disappearance.
According to the police, Mr. Barker-Vormawor's contribution "contains a clear statement of intent with the possible intention to carry out a coup d'état, in his declaration of intent to subvert the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.
On Monday, the prosecutor, DSP Sylvestre Asare, told the court that the Ashaiman police had received a complaint that Mr. Barker-Vormawor was inciting some individuals to overthrow the government.
He said that investigations revealed that this incitement took place on social media. This, he said, was the basis for the charges against the defendant.
Lawyers for Mr. Barker-Vormawor, led by Anthony Akoto Ampaw, asked the court to release him on bail.
They accused the police of flouting a Supreme Court ruling that an accused must be brought before the court within 48 hours including weekends.
DSP Asare, however, in a sharp retort, pointed out that the police had approached the Chief Justice over the weekend in the hope of getting a court to hear the matter. All efforts, he continued, were in vain.
Justice Eleanor Barnes took the defendant into police custody and indicated that the court could not grant bail because of the nature and seriousness of the crime.
The court also ordered that he be allowed to see his family and attorneys between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day.
He is expected to return to court on Monday, February 28.