Steven Atubiga, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Communications Team Member who spent three days in jail for comments deemed to be in contempt of court, has disclosed that he pleaded with colleague contemnor Ken Kuranchie, Editor of the Searchlight newspaper to act contrite before the Supreme Court Judges prior to their sentencing.
According to him, while standing beside the newspaper editor in the Witness box, he appealed to him to act remorseful and plead for clemency.
“I’m close pals with Ken and as a matter of fact I know his son William. So when he was given the opportunity to apologize, I told him (Ken Kuranchie) to think about his wife and children…I told him, ‘Ken, think about your children. Tell your lawyer to plead with the judges to give you another chance to apologize’,” the NDC communicator recounted.
He also added that “some of the best lawyers fumble when they get to the Supreme Court because of the power vested in them (judges) by the constitution so there was no need trying to challenge the judges”.
The NDC Communicator made the disclosure after gaining his freedom from the Akuse Medium Security Prisons on Thursday after serving a three day jail term for making contemptuous comments on election petition case currently being heard by the apex court of the land.
Mr. Atubiga, who described himself as an “Electrician and a Businessman” in open court, was convicted and sentenced to three days imprisonment, despite his admission of guilt and plea for forgiveness.
On his part, Ken Kuranchie was slapped with a ten day sentence, for what the judges say was his seemingly unremorseful posture. The ace journalist also came across as attempting to challenge the authority of the judges of the Supreme Court, instead of being suppliant.
Ken Kuranchie was charged and found guilty for criminal contempt after he wrote an editorial in support of a comment by Sammy Awuku, Deputy Director of Communications of the NPP that the Supreme Court Justices hearing the Presidential Election Petition were being “hypocritical and selective”.
When Awuku was confronted by the judges at the Supreme Court, he offered to withdraw and apologise for his comments. On his own plea he was banned from attending the rest of the hearing.
Ken Kuranchie in his editorial said Awuku was right in his description of the judges, a statement which got the Justices angry all the more.
They invited, heard and jailed him for criminal contempt.