Lawyer for two of the three contemnors jailed by the Supreme Court Wednesday has been stunned by the “harsh” sentence handed his clients.
Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn, panelists on Accra-based Montie FM together with their host Salifu Maase aka ‘Mugabe’ were sentenced to 4 months imprisonment for passing contemptuous comments.
They were convicted on July 18 after issuing death threats to judges of the Supreme Court at a radio programme earlier this month. They had been found guilty for scandalizing the court, defying and lowering the authority of the court and bringing it into disrepute by the court presided over by Justice Sophia Akuffo.
George Loh, counsel for Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn, admitted that although they knew custodian sentence was one of the “several options” they were “expecting” from the court, they least expected it.
“Four months is harsh”, he told Joy News stating that after numerous pleas for clemency from his clients, the court could have been more lenient.
He had anticipated a “fine, may be a reprimand or being bonded, at worst may be a week or something”.
Nonetheless, Mr. Loh said his clients who were immediately after the sentencing handcuffed and whisked away to prison are “taking it in their stride”.
They are bound to serve the full term since there seems not to be options for a review, the counsel hinted.
“No, I don’t think we stand any chance in terms of a review,” he gave up.
The court is likely to break on Friday July 28, for the legal vacation and may resumed in October.
“So as it stands now, we believe that, we will go back, we will sit down, look at it but we are not privy for a review,” Mr. Loh said.
Meanwhile, the owners of Montie FM – Harry Zakour, Edward Addo, Kwasi Attuah and Kwaky Bram Larbi – who pleaded for mercy and said the act was regretful were fined GHc30,000 to be paid on Thurday.
By Isaac Essel | 3news.com | Ghana
