Sir John Has Had Sleepless Nights, Please Don’t Punish Him- Chris Ackumey

As reported by Peacefmonline.com yesterday, two members of the New Patriotic Party have been summoned by the nine-member Supreme Court Justices adjudicating on the election petition for possible contempt.

The two leading members of the NPP to face the court are Lawyer Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, who is the party’s General Secretary and Mr. Hopeson Adorye, a member of the youth wing of the party.

But a plea has been placed before the doorstep of the nine justices to be compassionate on the culprits. Lawyer Chris Ackumey, a member of the NDC’s legal team made this call when host of Joy FM’s News File solicited his view on the matter.

According to him, the posture of Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie in recent times depicts that of a person who has been remorseful of his action ever since the court drew his attention to his contemptuous utterances.

Mr. Chris Ackumey further explained that the NPP’s General Secretary had now swapped his abrasive nature for a regular one and avoided courting controversy for himself.

“There is a proverb in my language which says that when you go hunting and you see an animal on its knees, you don’t shoot it”, he said.

Mr. Ackumey ended by stating that he knows Mr. Afriyie has had sleepless nights when he was alerted he would someday appear before the court. The routine of going through sleepless night was enough punishment according to Mr. Ackumey and this should inform the justices to let go the past.

On August 14, 2013, Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie and Mr. Adorye are to appear before the court to defend “why they should not be committed to prison” for comments aimed at “defying and lowering the authority of the court” and also for “scandalising the court”.