The Supreme Court is considering a suit demanding a nullification of president John Mahama’s remission of the sentence given to three NDC supporters.
The suit is one of three legal attempts seeking to challenge the decision by former President John Dramani Mahama to grant the pardon.
Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn and Salifu Masse who were part of a political talkshow on Accra-based Montie FM were jailed July 27 2016 following threats, made live on radio, to kill some judges whose judgements they disagreed with. They also threatened to rape the Chief Justice Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood on the same show.
Despite a three-month jail sentence handed by the Supreme Court, the NDC supporters were set free by the President, in August 22nd 2016, after they served more than three weeks in jail.
One of the plaintiffs, Nana Asante Bediatuo, is convinced that the presidential pardon granted the three was unconstitutional. The two others are Elipklim Agbemeva, a private legal practitioner and Alfred Yeboah.
Nana Asante Bediatuo has said the president has the power to pardon people convicted for criminal offences but does not have same to pardon convicts for criminal contempt.
President John Mahama is no longer in office after his government lost the general elections last December. Nana Asante Bediatuo is now Executive Secretary to President Akufo-Addo.
The hearing of the case has began at the Supreme Court Thursday. The apex court has granted a request by the Attorney General’s Department to be given 7 days to file a response to the three separate suits filed in September 2016. After the Attorney-General files a response within seven days, the court registrar is expected to set a date for the hearing of the case.
Fosua Amagyei who is counsel for Nana Asante Bediatuo, told Joy News “if the courts find our case favourable, they should go back to prison and continue where they left off”.
Nana Ama Fosua Amagyei
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