Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood and Justice Sule Gbadegbe have recused themselves from hearing a contempt case against two radio panelists who reportedly threatened to kill judges of the Supreme Court over their orders to Ghana’s Electoral Commission.
The two panelists and the owner of the station appeared before the Supreme Court Tuesday to explain why they should not be committed to prison for their comments.
The threats were prompted by the Supreme Court’s order to the Electoral Commission to submit to it names of all persons who used National Health Insurance cards as proof of identity to register to vote in the 2012 general elections.
“I know where the judges live in Accra, I can show you. I know their quarters, the Supreme Court judges…. If they like, they should bring it on. It will start in their residences, I’m telling you, in their neighborhood. When we finish them, then it will be over. Then we will come and rule our nation because they don’t wish the nation well,” one of them is quoted to have said.
The court last Tuesday cited the two for contempt consequent to which it on July 7 invited them to explain why they should not be “committed to prison for contempt of court, for scandalizing the court, defying and lowering the authority of the court, and bringing the authority of the court into disrepute”
At the court’s sitting Tuesday, Chief Justice Theodora Wood and Justice Gbadegbe stepped down from the five member panel constituted to hear the case on grounds that their names were specifically mentioned by the two defendants.
Consequent to that, the count recessed for a new panel to be constituted which with Justice Sophia Akufo and Justice Julius Ansah as replacement.
Their decision to step aside in the case was borne out of the fact that they may be ‘biased’ in their judgement considering that they were named by the two defendants.
Hearing has been adjourned to July 18.
By Martin Asiedu-Dartey|3news.com|Ghana
Twitter: @3newsgh
