Statesman and retired diplomat, K. B. Asante has expressed disappointment in the remission of the sentence of the Montie trio by President John Mahama.
According to the retired diplomat, the pressure put on the President to intervene was quite unfortunate.
He was speaking with Joy News on the sidelines of the 80th Anniversary of the Accra Ridge Church Anniversary Lecture Series which took place Wednesday evening in Accra.
President John Mahama on Moday granted remission to three persons serving a four-month jail term for criminal contempt, a month after they were sentenced by the Supreme Court.
A radio host with the Accra-based Montie FM Salifu Maase and two panelists, Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako-Gunn were found guilty for scandalising the court and sentenced to four months in prison.
A statement signed by the Communications Minister Dr Omane Boamah said the decision was taken on the advice of the Council of State and was on compassionate grounds.
However, the educationist and former diplomat said people should be made to face the full rigors of the law so it doesn’t create the impression that it pays to go against the law especially, when affiliated to a political party.
“It was wrong to interfer with the rule of law and the pressures put on the president to do so was most unfortunate,” he said.
Lawyers for the convicted trio and others petitioned the President to pardon their clients and they succeeded in collecting one million signatures to petition the President.
This included a Deputy Education Minister in charge of tertiary, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit, Valerie Sawyerr, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Deputy Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Benjamin Dagadu and others are some of the prominent Ministers of State.
According to Mr Asante, naturally when someone has been punished and released from jail people are supposed to rejoice with them having learnt their lesson adding “I don’t think think we should rejoice or make so much fuss about this incident.”
He said it is regrettable and Ghanaians should forget about the incident as “it was a bad experience” for the nation.
“I hope if anything like this happens we would allow the law to take its course and the President or whoever is in charge to is not presurrised to take an action which undermines discipline and against the rule of law,” he said.
-myjoyonline