Court ruling not green light for #FixTheCountry demo – Police

A recent Supreme Court ruling that set aside an earlier injunction on the #FixTheCountry demonstration is no reason to suppose that the planned civil disobedience will happen.

That is according to the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge. The PRO revealed the understanding of her office on Tuesday evening in an interview on Accra-based Joy FM.

According to Tenge, the Supreme Court’s call did not also bar the police from serving the convenors of the protest with a preventive notice. She denied allegations that the police is continuing to interfere with the demonstration in contravention to the Supreme Court’s ruling.

“It is not now that the police is seeking a restraining order against the convenors. This case has been pending in court after the police filed an ex parte motion that restrained the conveners of #Fixthecountry from embarking on their demonstration. But because we went on an ex parte, for which the court granted an injunction, we have to go back to the court and this time around, on notice. We hope to extend our restriction,” Tenge said.

The Supreme Court’s ruling

A panel presided over by Justice Yaw Appau explained that the order given by an Accra High Court judge barring the protesters from an intended demonstration on May 9 had long elapsed.

The court was of the view that the order or injunction barring the protesters had a life span of 10 days, and the order became inexistent after 10 days.

“There is no breach of the rules of natural justice here. Order 95 Rule 1 says the High Court judge has jurisdiction over the case, but the order is temporal. As it stands now, there is no order for us to quash.

“There is no order preventing your clients (Protesters) from holding any demonstration. The law is clear that the injunction should last past 10 days. There is nothing restraining you, so what is your problem,” Justice Appau reiterated.

In its ruling, the court also said it could not grant the second leg of the application which was asking the apex court to restrain the Ghana Police Service from interfering should they set a date for the intended demonstration.

Clash with protesters at the Accra High Court 

At the last sitting, personnel of the Ghana police were engaged in some clashes with #FixTheCountryNow protesters who had gone to the court for the hearing of the anti-demonstration injunction.

Over a dozen protesters stormed the court in #FixTheCountryNow shirts, placards and Ghana flags.

However, the police on duty prevented them from entering the premises of the high court with placards.

This led to a stand-off as videos circulating on social media showed one police in heated exchanges with a lady.

The court presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey was informed about the incident, and she subsequently directed the convenors who are the respondent in the case to come to the court individually.

Six of the #FixTheCountryNow convenors subsequently entered for the hearing.

They were: Samuel Alex Kudzordzie, Felicity Nelson, Bashiratu Kamal, Agyapong Foster, Darko Benjamin and Adakye Brownson.