The Trades Minister, Kobina Tahir Hammond, has been cleared of contempt charges by an Accra High Court.
The court ruled that the lawyers of Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson, failed to provide the full transcript of the interview in which Mr Hammond allegedly made contemptuous remarks about the MP’s trial.
Justice Mary Yanzuh, who presided over the case, said the court could not rely on an incomplete publication to convict Mr Hammond, who denied the allegations.
The applicant, she said, had the duty to exhibit the full interview to enable the court to ascertain what exactly was said.
Mr Hammond was accused of saying that Mr Quayson should vacate his seat in Parliament because he would end up in prison.
This was after the High Court had annulled Mr Quayson’s election for holding dual citizenship.
The Minister’s comments were said to have been made on Oyerepa TV, where he drew parallels between Mr Quayson’s case and that of former MP Adamu Sakande.
“There is something we call precedence at the court. This is the same thing that happened with Adamu Sakande. He came to this House…the same NDC (National Democratic Congress) members were the ones who sacked him from Parliament and took him to court. He was imprisoned and he eventually died and was buried. It is the same matter,” he said.
“They are making all kinds of noise about his swearing-in. I prompted the former Deputy Attorney General, Dominic Ayine to tell the gentleman that we have seen this before in this House. He should leave this House before he would be jailed,” he added.
Readers would recall in July 2012, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Adamu Dramani Sakande was convicted by an Accra High Court after he was found guilty of perjury and forgery.
This was after he failed to denounce his UK Citizenship before contesting for the Bawku seat.
He was found guilty of perjury and forgery and was jailed for two years concurrently on all counts.