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The Adansi Asokwa Member of Parliament (MP), Hon. Kobina Tahir Hammond has been hauled before an Accra High Court by lawyers for Hon. James Gyakye Quayson for contempt of court charges over some “extremely prejudicial” statements he made concerning the ongoing criminal trial of the Assin North MP. The suit, filed on Friday July 7, 2023, has a report of Hon. KT Hammond’s July 4 interview on Oyerepa TV in Twi as he was recorded to have said Hon. Quayson would be jailed.
On July 4, 2023, the controversial Member of Parliament who is also the minister of Trade and Industry in an interview with Oyerepa TV’s Kwesi Parker-Wilson insisted that Mr. Quayson’s case is no different from that of Mr. Adamu Sakande, a former MP, which ended him in prison. “This is the same thing that happened with Adamu Sakande… He was imprisoned and he eventually died and was buried. It is the same matter”, he maintained. He told Parker-Wilson in Parliament that “He [Gyakye Quayson] should leave this house before he would be jailed”, he continued insistently that “This is the same as the Adamu Sakande case. Adamu was jailed for having multiple citizenships and Quayson had the same issue. Now he has renounced his other citizenship and he is only Ghanaian…but laws he broke previously is what we are talking about”.
The writ argues “That the Respondent [KT Hammond] has no respect for the judicial process and the interview granted by the Respondent, in its totality, is in egregious contempt of this Honourable court.” The writ also directly cites the six-time Member of Parliament for violating the right of Mr. Quayson to be presumed innocent as well as his right of fair trial. “That such prejudice undermines the lawful judicial process and may even bring the said judicial process into disrepute as it will create in the minds of members of the general public that no other conclusion other than that pronounced by the Respondent can occur. That the said words of the Respondent are also in contempt of this Honourable Court as they are extremely prejudicial to the lawful process of this Honourable Court”, the writ cited.
Mr. Quayson’s lawyers are praying the court for Mr. KT Hammond to be tried for contempt and sentenced to prison if found guilty.
Meanwhile, the Accra High Court will give its ruling today, Tuesday July 11 on the application for a Stay of Proceedings filed by lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata on behalf of Hon. James Gyakye Quayson as the criminal trial of the MP over charges of forgery and perjury continues. Mr. Tsikata argues that the application for a Stay of Proceedings is necessary to allow the Court of Appeal hear the review application on a decision by the criminal division of the High Court for a daily trial for the Member of Parliament.
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