Kofi Bentil supports Dominic Ayine as another contempt looms over him
- The Chief Justice has petitioned the General Legal Council to investigate Dr. Dominic Ayine
- This was after the former Deputy Attorney General made some comments believed to have disparaged the court
- He made the comment during A CDD-Ghana forum
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Senior Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has called on Dr. Dominic Ayine to stay strong.
Bentil's call followed reports that the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, has petitioned the General Legal Council (GLC) to investigate comments the former Deputy Attorney General and Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga East made during a CDD-Ghana roundtable discussion.
Source: Facebook
During the discussion which was dubbed: ‘Presidential Election Petitions and their Impact on Africa’s Democracy’, Dr. Ayine questioned the independence of the Supreme Court justices that sat on the 2020 election petition.
He accused them of “constantly putting hurdles” in the way of John Dramani Mahama “in terms of adducing evidence” to prove his case.
“I am sure for ordinary Ghanaians or the electorate generally, the fact that the Supreme Court judges – all nine of them – on almost every application were unanimous in rejecting and dismissing the case of the petitioner was very telling in terms of the open-mindedness or otherwise of the Justices as far the petition was concerned and for me as a Lawyer,” he stated.
Commenting on the Chief Justice’s petition to the General Legal Council, Bentil said, “Facial expressions and opinion must never be frowned upon in a free society.”
“This is not right!” he added in a Facebook post sighted by YEN.com.gh.
Bentil’s post sparked massive reactions and debates and YEN.com.gh compiled a few.
Nana-Yaw Supebere Esikyire said: “A lawyer who plies his trade in the law courts doing this mischief. So, it was okay to do gestures that hold the JSC in contempt and the opinions that seek to cast aspersions at the JSC?”
Samuel G Sam added: “The bigotry is thickened. How did Kennedy Agyapong insult of judges ended. Hypocrites?#KofiKoomson my #1 Prophet.”
Jude Agbemava stated: “Tyrants at the helm of affairs. This is so disturbing. State institutions are choked by tyrants. So sad.”
Yaw Osei Asibey observed: “What's right? By the ethos and ethics of bar, you hold a duty to speak with facts, the 'hear say' is becoming the norm, that's worrying.”
In a May 25, 2021 petition addressed to the Chairman of the General Legal Council signed by the Judicial Secretary, Justice Cynthia Pamela Addo, the Chief Justice called for the investigations into the comments.
It will be recalled Dr. Ayine, a member of the legal team of former President John Dramani Mahama during the election petition trial, was cited for contempt for saying in one of his post-trial interviews that the court had a “predetermined agenda” to rule against the former president.
He was hauled before the court on February 22 for the scandalous comment. The court ordered him to go and apologise.
He rendered an unconditional apology on the same day, admitting that he went overboard and was reckless concerning the “remarks that I made.”
The court then discharged him on Thursday, February 25, 2021.
Mahama petitioned the apex court after rejecting the outcome of the presidential polls.
The Apex Court, however, dismissed the petition, stating that it cannot order a rerun of the 2020 presidential polls.
The panel held that the former president failed to adduce “cogent evidence” to back his claims that there was no winner in the December 7, 2020, presidential elections.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
