The late Major Maxwell Adam Mahama
George Bernard Shaw, counsel defending the suspects in the lynching of Major Maxwell Adam Mahama at Denkyira-Boase has expressed disgust over the manner he is being verbally assaulted in the media.
“The media should stop insulting me. Some of them even address me as “that devil of a lawyer” and use all sort of abusive words on my personality. I am on the brink of withdrawal,” he lamented.
Mr Shaw who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Cape Coast was emphatic that he does not support mob justice but was only in to ensure that the rights of the accused persons were not abused.
This was after the seven accused persons who were initially arrested after the mob-action last May, were discharged by the Cape Coast Magistrate Court on Monday and the case transferred to Accra for continuation.
All the accused persons except William Baah, the assembly member were bare footed when they appeared in court.
“I am not doing this for money, I am just a human rights lawyer. I am totally against mob justice” he stated.
Mr Shaw said the country was governed by rule of law and was not a jungle, adding “Stop trying the case in the media. The media should know better and educate the public”.
He expressed dissatisfaction about the way Ghanaians were handling the matter with some pronouncing judgment on the accused persons, saying it was wrong for people to comment while the matter was pending at the court.
He called for regular public education to educate the Ghanaian populace to understand the processes of the court citing, for instance, the law that states that ‘a person is not guilty until proven guilty by a court of a competent jurisdiction’.
Mr Shaw also expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which the case was being handled by the prosecution.
He told the court on Monday June 19, that he had been denied access to his clients after several efforts while prosecution had also denied some of the accused persons who sustained wounds access to health care.
“I have not been granted access to my clients to know their side of the story and that of their health and indicated that such practices were against the natural laws of justice and should not be entertained.
Mr Shaw advised the Government to be cautious with the way it handled the case as the international community as well as human rights activists were monitoring how the suspects in the case would be tried.
GNA