Journalists Denied Access to Kennedy Agyapong Hearing

General news for Saturday, September 26, 2020

Source: GNA

2020-09-26

Media professionals covering the contempt case against Kennedy Agyapong, a member of Parliament for Assin Central, were denied access to the courtroom on Friday.

Superior Court police personnel who heard the case insisted that they were only following “instructions from above” and would not allow any member of the media to enter the courtroom.

However, after some exchanges with the police, a media person was allowed to cover on behalf of all the media present.

In the previous session, the court adjourned the matter after Mr. Agyapong’s lawyers told the court that they had filed a request for judicial review in the Supreme Court, asking the court to stop the contempt case against him for a Circuit Court of Accra.

This morning’s court was expected to continue deliberating with his lawyers on matters of jurisdiction and procedure.

It is alleged that Mr. Agyapong made a statement deemed derogatory in the case in which Susan Bandoh and Christopher Akuetteh Kotei, Ibrahim Jaja, Nana Yaw Duodu, alias Sledge, and the Inspector General of Police sued him in a land dispute.

While the case was still pending, the court’s attention was drawn to a television (NET2 TV) and radio (Oman FM) program allegedly broadcast on September 2 of this year, in which the MP is said to “scandalize and threaten” the court.

A court order signed on September 9 by Judge Wuni read: “I hereby summon the aforementioned Kennedy Ohene Agyapong for an order issued under my hand and seal to appear before the High Court (Land Court 12) on Monday 14 September 2020 at 1000 hours to prove the cause for which he should not be severely punished for contempt, if the matters against him are proven to the satisfaction of the court.