Peacefmonline.com can authoritatively confirm that the nine-member Supreme Court Justices adjudicating on the Election Petition suit have summoned two leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for possible contempt.
Lawyer Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, affectionately called “Sir John”, General Secretary of the NPP and Hopeson Adorye, a member of the youth wing of the opposition party, Young Patriots, are the two personalities who are billed next to appear before the court.
The summons, dated August 9, 2013, is jointly signed by the president of the nine-member panel and the registrar of the Supreme Court, Mr Justice William Atuguba and Mr James Mensah respectively.
They are to appear before the Court on August 14, 2013, to defend “why they should not be committed to prison” for comments aimed at “defying and lowering the authority of this court” and also for “scandalising the court“.
The summons also indicts the two of “exciting hatred and ill-will towards the 1st and 2nd respondents” in the election petition.
The first and second respondents in the presidential election petition are President John Dramani Mahama and the Electoral Commission (EC).
The NPP Chief Scribe, is alleged to have accused the Bench of bias while outspoken Young Patriots member, on the other hand, is alleged to have stated that the heads of members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will be chopped if President Mahama is declared winner of the ongoing Presidential election petition.
On the part of Sir John, this is what the Supreme Court said:
“SIR JOHN DESCENDS ON JUSTICE ATUGUBA
…Calls him a hypocrite, A joker Who Pampers Tsikata, Scolds Addison”
And elaborate at page 4 thereof, that you, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie popularly known as “Sir John” did on the 25th day of June, 2013 on a talk show, on Oman FM, in the Twi language describe the presideing judge of this panel “as a hypocritical joker who pampers the counsel for the National Democratic Congress, Tsatsu Tsikata, but habitually scolds the counsel for the NPP…That the said judge habitually “frowned like a voodoo deity.”
….That “Do they think we are stupid, you sit there and frown like a voodoo deity, when Addison is talking you shut him down and beat him with sticks but when it comes to Tsatsu, when he get angry, you ask him apologetically if he is angry. Tsikata’s cross-examination was for how many, didn’t Atuguba and Co see that the questions he was asking were nonsensical?”
… That “What hurts me most is that man that you call Atuguba, or Atu…Atugubu, whoever, you say he is called what? … I mean that judge, that your judge, that judge that you call Atugu…whatever, he oh he, he is funny”
… That “the Supreme Court had prepared mashed yam in palm oil (Eto, an Akan delicacy) and stuffed it with egg for Tsatsu Tsikata to eat”
… That “Justice Atuguba by his action, was up to hypocritical antics that is intended to lead to the NPP not getting the opportunity to play a tape recording of Electoral Commissioner, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan’s voice declaring that “No Verification, no vote” so that the President can win the case.
… That “any final verdict of the Supreme Court, apart from the declaration of Akufo Addo as winner of the elections…would amount to stealing.”
… That “to the relatives of judges sitting on the election petition,… If you have a relative who is on the panel go and tell him that you don’t want a funeral on your hands, beg him to speak the truth… I know the judges, they will speak the truth, but there is one or two, one particular judge who opens his mouth at anytime and the next thing you hear is a warning. I want him to know that he can’t intimidate us. I have never heard him warn Mahama.”
… That “the whole of Ghana has watched and seen that Justice Atuguba was trying to cheat the NPP, … and yet he is telling us not to complain.”
YOU, KWADWO OWUSU-AFRIYIE ARE HEREBY ORDERED to appear before this court on the 14th day of August, 2013 at 10 o’clock in the forenoon or so soon thereafter as you can be heard to show cause why you should not be committed to prison for contempt of this court, for thereby:
. Scandalizing the court,
. Lowering the authority and credibility of this court in the eyes of the general public, and
. Exciting hatred and ill-will towards the 1st and 2nd respondents herein
GIVEN UNDER MY HAND AND SEAL OF
THE SUPREME COURT HIS
9TH DAY OF AUGUST 2013
IN RE HOPESON ADORYE, CONTEMNOR SUMMONS TO SHOW CAUSE
It having come to the notice of this court as per a publication in the “VOL. 3 ISSUE# 991 Monday 8th July, 2013” of the Newspaper known as “Daily Post” that you HOPESON ADORYE as per a banner on the front page thereof titled “WE SHALL CUT THE HEADS OF NDC SUPPORTERS IF… SUPREME COURT DECLARES PREZ MAHAMA WINNER” and continuing with elaboration at page 4 thereof, did say in an interview with Time FM, Obuasi on the 26th day of June 2013 that “the NPP will… go on a head cutting spree, cutting off the heads of NDC supporters should the Supreme Court declare President Mahama the winner”,
… That “the NPP will not accept the verdict of the Supreme Court if Akufo-Addo is not declared winner since others in the NDC have also said there will be civil war if the Supreme Court rules in favour of Akufo-Addo”… That “the claim by fellow NPP activist, Samuel Awuku, that the Supreme Court judges were bias and are hypocrites was an appropriate comment for which Awuku should not have apologized.”
YOU, HOPESON ADORYE, ARE HEREBY ORDERED to appear before this court on the 14th day of August at 10 o’clock in the forenoon or so soon thereafter as you can be heard, to show cause why you should not be committed to prison for contempt of court, for thereby:
. Scandalizing the court,
. Defying and lowering the authority of this court
. and exciting prejudice and ill will towards the 1st and 3rd respondents herein