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Assin Central deputy Kennedy Agyapong has pleaded not guilty to the contempt charge against him.
This was after the judge decided to go ahead with the matter despite opposition from Mr. Agyapong’s lawyers.
The deputy has alleged that the judge hearing the matter, Amos Wuntah Wuni, will create a situation where he will be biased if he goes ahead to hear the case.
They had subsequently petitioned the Chief Justice on the matter and had also filed a petition with the High Court to prevent the judge from proceeding.
The legislator risks a possible jail sentence or a fine if found guilty of contempt.
He was dragged into court by Judge Wuni to justify why he shouldn’t be severely punished for making some comments on a pending case.
But his lawyers on September 18 urged the court to halt the proceedings, explaining that they had filed an application in the Supreme Court challenging the jurisdiction of Judge Awuni to hear the matter.
Judge Wuni stated that nothing prevented him from pursuing the case, but postponed the proceedings until September 25 to hear more legal arguments from Mr. Agyapong’s legal team.
Since then, this team has filed a new application in the High Court asking that Judge Wuni be prevented from hearing the matter.
They explain that “given that the authority of His Honor Amos Wuntah Whni to exercise jurisdiction in the internment process is at stake, it will be partial and prejudicial for the Honor to be a judge in his own case in the exercise of such questionable jurisdiction.”
He also insists that it is the Attorney General who has the power by law to initiate any criminal process for contempt and not the court that claims to have been threatened and scandalized.
The lawyers also reveal that they have asked the president of the Supreme Court to point out the “unfair process emanating from the court of his honor Awuni.”
Judge Wuni, who was informed of this fact, ruled that the court was proceeding with the matter. The contempt charge was read against the MP who pleaded not guilty. After which the video recording was played in the courtroom.
Judge Wuni postponed the proceedings until Monday, September 28 for Mr. Agyapong’s lawyers to respond to the video recording and state their defense.
