The Supreme Court justices hearing contempt charges against the owners of Accra-based Montie FM and three others were yesterday furious that the station owners refused to make themselves available to the court as ordered.
The court has therefore ordered them to appear before it on Monday, June 18, 2016 in respect of the contempt of court charges initiated against them following the threatening comments made against the justices of the Supreme Court by panelists on the radio station.
Embattled Salifu Maase aka Mugabe, host of “Pampaso,” a political programme on the station, Godwin Ako Gunn, 39, and Alistair Tairo Nelson, 41, both ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) activists, as well as the owners of the station, were last week summoned before the Supreme Court.
The two panelists on the show – Godwin Ako Gunn and Alistair Tairo Nelson – reportedly spurred on by Mugabe, purportedly issued death threats on the lives of the Supreme Court justices presiding over a case involving the Electoral Commission (EC).
Although it has largely been rumoured that Harry Zakour, a vice chairperson of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is the owner of Montie FM, he was absent in court when the case was called for hearing.
Rather one Edward Addo, who claims to be a shareholder in the company – Network Broadcasting Limited – appeared for the company.
Montie Owners
But the five-member panel, presided over by Justice Sophia Akuffo, in a unanimous decision, insisted that the owners of the station were to appear before the court.
This was after Nana Ato Dadzie, lawyer for the station, had sought to justify the absence of the said owners, explaining that they were out of the country.
Justice Akuffo said the human beings in the case “should have been here and not one person or co-owner.”
She contended that those legally responsible for the company ought to appear before the court.
According to her, Ato Dadzie should have pleaded with the court to give him another opportunity to bring the owners of the station.
Tales
Meanwhile, the three paddies (contemnors) in the dock, who looked exceptionally humble before the judges after their initial display of bravado, said they were served with the summons only yesterday at the court.
Mugabe said he picked his summons at the registry of the apex court yesterday, but learnt that he had been ordered to appear before the SC on radio and in the newspapers.
The ‘Pampaso’ host pleaded with the court to give him time to talk to his lawyer in order to prepare his defence.
Alistair
According to Alistair, he was served the summons by a bailiff who asked his name and threw the documents at him – a mode of service Justice Akuffo said was sometimes done.
Alistair said he received the documents in good fate.
For Ako Gunn, who was represented by lawyer George Loh, he was also served with the summons at the court but heard about the order to appear before the SC on radio and through the newspapers.
The court nonetheless adjourned the hearing until Monday to enable the contemnors prepare their defences in respect of the case.
Justice Akuffo said the court would not tolerate any excuses because the public had been on tenterhooks due to its interest in the case.
The court, however, dismissed the invitation by the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to join the case.
The justices held that that ought to be done by a formal application to the court but not by word of mouth as Justine Amenuvor, General Secretary of the Association, had sought to do.
Although he had wanted to join the case as an Amicus, the court disagreed.
CJ, Sulley, Step Aside
Earlier, Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood said that she and Sulley Gbadegbe would not be part of the panel to hear the case.
This, she explained, was because some of the derogatory comments by the NDC activists were directed at them and as a result had to recuse themselves from the case.
Justice Sophia Akuffo and Julius Ansah replaced the two on the panel, which also included Justices Paul Baffoe Bonnie, Kwasi Anim Yeboah and Anthony Benin.
Prison
The court had asked them why they should not be committed to prison for contempt of court.
According to the summons, per his utterances, Godwin Ako Gunn ‘scandalized the court, defied and lowered the authority of the court and brought the authority of the court into disrepute.
The wording of the summons and posturing of the court were not different from what was served Alistair Nelson and the owner of Montie FM.
In the case of Mugabe, the summons said that he allegedly spurred on the two panelists to threaten and “scandalize the court in a manner which if proven against you, would amount to contempt of this honourable court.”
Alistair reportedly threatened to kill the judges if the Supreme Court did not leave the Electoral Commission alone.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson