SC to decide whether to hear Akwatia MP March 12

Lawyers for the Member of Parliament for the Akwatia Constituency, Ernest Yaw Kumi, who was convicted of contempt by a Koforidua High Court, were today (February 26) prevented from moving a motion seeking to set aside an injunction restraining him from holding himself as an MP.

When the case was called, counsel for Kumi, Gary Nimako Marfo, attempted to move the motion, but Justice Gabriel Pwamang, who led a five-member panel hearing the matter, questioned whether Kumi had purged himself of contempt before seeking relief from the Supreme Court.

“We are all superior courts, and we are aware that the High Court in Koforidua made orders in the nature of contempt. If you are in contempt, you would purge yourself. You don’t avoid answering it and then you’re given a hearing,” the President of the bench stated.

In response, counsel for Kumi argued that the High Court had disregarded documents his client had filed and that the motion before the Supreme Court was submitted before the High Court’s contempt ruling.

He further stated that he was not aware of the contempt order from the High Court.

However, counsel for the first interested party, Bernard Bediako, disputed this, arguing that Marfo had already filed another motion at the Supreme Court seeking to set aside the contempt judgment.

Justice Pwamang insisted that the Supreme Court could not grant counsel audience in a court of law until his client had responded to the contempt ruling from the High Court.

Kumi himself was absent from the proceedings but was represented by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin.

After a short break, the court fixed March 12 to determine whether or not to hear the MP. The parties have been ordered to file their written submissions seven days from today.