Be fair in applying Contempt of Court rule – Naana Jane to Judges

The running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, wants the judiciary to be fair in the application of the contempt of court rule.

According to the former Minister of Education in the Mahama administration, fairness and equity required that the judiciary will apply law irrespective of who it affects.

Her call comes after a High Court judge summoned Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong, for insulting him on his television station over a land case.

The NDC running mate came under criticism in 2016 and after her nomination for being one of the many NDC leaders who signed a petition for the release of the ‘Montie Three’ who were jailed for scandalising the court.

The supreme court in 2016 sentenced and fined Salifu Maase, aka Mugabe, Radio Gold host; and panellists—Alistair Tairo Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn– for contempt of court.

They were to spend four months’ imprisonment each and also slapped GH¢10,000 each in fines.

The two panellists, spurred on by Maase, threatened the lives of judges of the Superior Courts, especially those who had heard the case on the credibility of the country’s electoral roll filed by Abu Ramadan and Evans Nimako against the Electoral Commission (EC).

They were found guilty of scandalising the court, defying and lowering its authority and bringing its name into disrepute.

The trio were later pardoned by President Mahama.

With that incident in mind when she met some civil society organizations in Accra, Prof Opoku-Agyeman said cynicism would grow with impunity if the judiciary was not seen to be fair in the application of the law.

“If you talk about name and shame it should be consistent. If you are going to apply punishment, it should be consistent. If you say somebody has scandalised the law court and you allow the process to go through; the person has apologised and has done everything, the law took its course, the person was fined, the person was sentenced, the person was imprisoned.

“You say clemency is part of the judicial system, and people pretend they don’t understand why there should be a petition.

“Another person does the same thing, also scandalises the court and just say he is coming to apologize, so it is okay; that is corruption. And I want to see that also highlighted,” she said.

Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party’s vociferous MP, Kennedy Agyapong, has apologised to the Chief Justice and judges in the country after he insulted a judge on live TV.

“I have come to the realisation that without prejudice to the substantive case, my expression about the court’s opinion was harsh thus I find it necessary to render unqualified apology without any reservation,” the MP said in a publication in the newspaper.

The vociferous Assin Central MP has been summoned by High Court judge, Amos Wuntah Wuni, for contempt after the legislator used unprintable words on him.

Mr. Agyapong is reported to have “scandalized” and “threatened” the judge and, by extension, the court in an ongoing land case.

On Wednesday, September 2, 2020, the lawmaker had threatened to petition the Chief Justice over a judgment given without his knowledge.

On a program on Net2 TV, Mr. Agyapong insulted the judge for delivering judgment when he was unaware of the case despite being the de jure owner of the land for 18 years.

The MP also threatened to deal with the judge.

The High Court judge, Amos Wuntah Wuni, subsequently issued a warrant for the NPP firebrand to appear on Monday, September 14 at 10:00 am.

He is expected to “show cause why he should not be severely punished for contempt if the matters are proven against him to the satisfaction of the Court”.

Below is a copy of the summon

But even before the controversial MP, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, appears before the judge, he has apologised.