Dr. Dominic A. Ayine (3rd left) with some of his colleagues after the court
Former Deputy Attorney General, Dr. Dominic A. Ayine, has learned his lesson and will sin no more, his lawyer, Frank Beecham, told the Supreme Court yesterday.
Dr. Ayine, who is a member of the legal team of former President John Dramani Mahama, had suggested that the Supreme Court had a “predetermined agenda” to rule against Mr. Mahama after the court dismissed his application to reopen his case.
He was summoned before the court to show cause why he should not be punished for the comment he made which scandalized the courts, and after a passionate plea from his counsel, he was discharged of contempt of court.
His lawyer had told the court that Dr. Ayine regretted the word used and had realised the errors of his ways, begging the court to tamper justice with mercy.
Mr. Beecham said it was not Dr. Ayine’s intention to scandalize the court, and said it would not happen again.
The court accepted the apologies of the counsel but said that as a former Deputy Attorney General he should have weighed the consequences and implications of his utterances about judgments of the Supreme Court.
The court said it was not going to hand any form of punishment to the contemnor but warned him to refrain from any such unguarded statements against the court.
The court, however, ordered him to purge himself of contempt by retracting the scandalous statements through the very same medium
Right after the court proceedings, Dr. Ayine addressed the press and rendered an unqualified apology to the Supreme Court, particularly the panel hearing the election petition.
“I wish to unreservedly apologize to the court that is the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ghana, as well the justices in particular, who sat on that day. There was no intension on my part to impugn their integrity. I was just expressing a sentiment with respect to the ruling that day and I want to render an unqualified apology and to retract the words that I used in their entirety unreservedly,” he stated.
The court yesterday discharged him of contempt after the Chief Justice, Anin-Yeboah, indicated that it was brought to his attention that Dr. Ayine had apologized as ordered by the court.
His lawyer expressed gratitude to the court, noting that Dr. Ayine had learned his lesson and would sin no more.
Justin Amenuvor, lead counsel for the Electoral Commission (EC), who was in court in solidarity with the contemnor also thanked the court for its magnanimity on Dr. Ayine, who he described as a roommate, close friend and for whom he was a best man at his wedding.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak