The Supreme Court appears not happy with the posture of the Attorney General after two panellists of Montie FM recently threatened to murder five justices.
The panellists, Alistair Tairo Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn, on June 24th and
June 29th severally threatened to replicate the 34-year-ago murder of three high court judges if judgement in the Abu Ramadan/Evans Nimako Vrs EC/AG case does not favour the defendants.
The Supreme Court on July 18 convicted the two panellists and Salifu Maase, popularly known on radio as Mugaabe, the host of Pampaso, the programme on which the threats were spued.
The owners were also convicted. Reading the judgement on Wednesday, July 27, presiding judge Sophia Akuffo said the Attorney General should have noticed the criminality in the threat and acted upon it.
“There is an element of criminality in their utterances which the Attorney-General should have noticed and acted upon,” Justice Sophia Akuffo observed.
“There are constitutional provisions that establish the independence of the judiciary and that even the president cannot control judges.”
She called for “utmost” respect for the judiciary if the country’s democracy is to be safeguarded. “Any conduct that seeks to interfere with the judiciary is an act against the community.”
The two panellists and the host were slapped with a four-month jail term each plus a total of GH¢30,000 fine while the owners were to pay GH¢30,000 by close of day Thursday, July 28. Defaulting in payment of the fine by the panellists and host will see them serving an additional one month in gaol.
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