Bernard A. Mornah
The Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Bernard A. Mornah, is allegedly hiding from being served with an application for contempt brought against him by the Attorney General’s Department.
A Chief State Attorney, Bright Kuwornu, appearing before the Supreme Court yesterday to move the application told the court that Mr. Mornah was evading service.
This was after the panel of judges presided over by Chief Justice Anin-Yeboah had asked the state attorney if the respondent (Mr. Mornah) had been served with the application.
Justice Sule Gbadegbe queried the state attorney why he would attempt to move an application of that nature without ensuring that the respondent had been served.
Mr. Kuwornu then told the court that the respondent was evading service which is why they had not been able to serve him with the application.
But Justice Jones Dotse was unimpressed with the statement and queried the state attorney if he had any evidence to proof that attempts were made to serve Mr. Mornah but all failed, which would suggest that he is evading service.
In the light of the setback, the court subsequently adjourned the matter indefinitely.
Mornah Trouble
Bernard Mornah was cited for contempt after he allegedly encouraged Ghanaians to disregard a Supreme Court order for the Electoral Commission (EC) to compile a new voters’ register pursuant to C.I. 126 which excluded the old voter ID cards as basis for identification.
He had allegedly said specifically after the court judgement that, “Get your voter ID card, if it is the only identification document you can find and march in your numbers and in multitudes to the registration centres to demand the restoration of your right to citizenship and your inalienable right bestowed on you by virtue of your birth and by courtesy of the 1992 Constitution.” Mr. Mornah is said to have encouraged the public despite explicit orders of the court.
As a result, a contempt suit filed at the Supreme Court by Deputy Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame alleging that Bernard Mornah called on Ghanaians to go out there with their old voter cards if it is the only form of identification they have and demand their right to be registered contrary to the express orders of the highest court.
The Deputy Attorney General’s documents said Mr. Mornah’s actions blatantly contradict the express orders of the court for the old cards to be excluded from the list of documents for identification.
The Office of the Attorney General, by the application, is urging the Supreme Court to commit Bernard Mornah to prison to serve as a deterrent and maintain trust and dignity in the highest court of the land.
The AG’s Department is averring that Mr. Mornah by this admonished Ghanaians to act in disobedience of the explicit orders of the Supreme Court of Ghana.
Mr. Dame averred that Mr. Mornah, by virtue of this statement, accused the Supreme Court of denying Ghanaians of their right to citizenship and their inalienable right, thereby courting contempt and disaffection for the court.
“The conduct of the Respondent was clearly intended to subvert the judgement of this Honourable Court and same was out of disrespect for the Court’s authority under the Constitution,” Mr. Dame stated.
“That Respondent’s disregard of the authority of this Court makes him liable to be committed to prison in order to vindicate the undoubted authority of the Court,” he added.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak