[ 2016-07-28 ]

Korieh Duodu (Left) and Yaw Oppong

Presidential pardon in Montie sentencing will be ‘scandalous’ – Lawyers
Two legal experts are strongly opposed to
suggestions of a Presidential Pardon for a
broadcaster and his two guests who were jailed for
contempt by the Supreme Court, Wednesday.

Law Lecturer at the Central University in Accra,
Yaw Oppong and Counsel at Bentsi-Enchill Letsa &
Ankomah, Korieh Duodu, have unanimously indicated
that an Executive intervention in the four months
jail sentencing of the trio would be an attack on
the independence of the Judiciary.

“It simply won’t be acceptable for the
President to do that,” said Korieh Duodu on
current affairs programme, PM Express on the Joy
News channel on Multi TV, Wednesday evening.

There have been suggestions that the four-month
jail sentencing plus a fine of GHC10,000 slapped
on host of a political talk show on Accra-based
Montie FM, Salifu Maase and his two panelists,
Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn was too
harsh.
The panelists, on the discussion programme,
Pampaso, on the local language station threatened
to kill judges who ordered the deletion of over
56, 000 'illegal' names from the voters register.

The Host is said to have fuelled the threatening
comments by the panelist and did not restrain them
from making them.

Some commentators have seen the sentencing as a
slap in the face of the governing National
Democratic Congress (NDC) since owners of the
radio station, the host and the panelists are
known supporters of the party.

Some have said President John Mahama could
exercise his Executive Orders by granting the
jailed NDC affiliates Presidential Pardon, in a
bid to appease party supporters who seen the
Supreme Court verdict as unfair.

However, speaking on PM Express, Mr Duodu said
the issue could escalate if the President took
such a step.

“That would a scandalous thing to do,” he
said, adding because of the political twist to
matter, it would untenable for the President to
attempt an intervention.
“The Supreme Court, acting in its independent
capacity, has made this ruling and expects the
ruling to be carried out,” he stressed.

Yaw Oppong also told PM Express host Nana Ansah
Kwao IV the President must rise above the
temptation to please NDC supporters by taking any
counter action.

“It won’t be legally appropriate, that
doesn’t mean it will be against the law, but in
the general frame of things it will never be
appropriate – especially in an election year,”
he said.

“It may be politically disastrous. There are
people who have vowed to vote this way or that
way. But the few who determine who should be
President of Ghana the so called floating voters
and things like these can easily sway them. But it
should not just be based on voting. It should be
based on sound principles,” he adds.

In Mr Duodu's view, the sentencing could stifle
free speech and freedom of expression, although he
admits the threats on Judges were unacceptable.

He said once journalists are too careful about
what to say and what not to say their watchdog
role is affected.

"It is a disaster if you start putting
journalists in prison," he said adding the ruling
could even affect confidence in the Judiciary.

He has described Wednesdays sentencing as an
extreme example of contempt he has witnessed in
all 16 years of his law practice.

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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