The Supreme Court is expected to today pronounce judgement on two panellists, a host and owners of Montie FM.
The Montie FM ‘squad’ have been cited for contempt.
It all began June 29 when the two radio panellists – Alistair Tairo Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn – threatened to murder the five Supreme Court judges if their judgement in the Abu Ramadan/Evans Nimako Vrs EC/AG case does not favour the respondents.
Issued on the eve of the 34th anniversary of murder of three high court judges, the threats did not go down well not only with the Supreme Court justices but also many stakeholders including the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana, JUSAG, which called for stiff sanctions for the panellists, especially.
Though the two – who are also political activists – as well as the management of the Accra-based radio station have apologised for the incident, the Supreme Court is expected to drop the gavel hard on the head of the panellists and the host, Salifu Maase, who has blamed the incident on the absence of his producer on that day.
Recusals
In dealing dispassionately with the case, three justices had to recuse themselves from the case.
On the first hearing on Tuesday, July 12, Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood and Justice Sulley Gbadegbe had to recuse themselves since they were particularly mentioned in the threats.
On Monday, July 18, when owners of the radio station were summoned, Justice Baffoe Bonney had to recuse himself because his brother was one of the owners summoned by the Court.
However, the unanimous apologies rendered by the soon-to-be-declared contemnors are expected to extenuate the sanctions to be meted out in the judgement.
The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), which is holding the two activists under investigations, had played down their threats, saying “it was a needless show of bravado”.
This seemed to be corroborated by one of the panellists who blamed the vituperation on disease ‘kpokpogbligbli’.
Security is expected to be heightened in and around the Supreme Court.
Source: 3news.com|Ghana
Twitter: @3Newsgh