Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central is preparing to cite contempt charges against investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, lawyer for Hon Kennedy Agyapong, Ralph Agyapong has said.
This comes after the Accra High threw out a GHC25 million defamation case filed by the investigative journalist against the lawmaker.
The trial judge Justice Eric Baah dismissed the case and awarded GHc50,000 cost against the plaintiff.
Anas Aremeyaw filed a GH¢25 million over some comments the MP had allegedly made against him in public after airing his investigative piece #Number 12, which exposed some alleged rots in Ghana Football.
Justice Eric Baah, a Justice of the Court of Appeal who is sitting with additional responsibility as a High Court judge, in delivering his judgement said Anas Aremeyaw’s case has no merit.
The judge also questioned the style of journalism by the Plaintiff, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
In a response to the judgement, Tiger Eye PI headed by Anas Aremeyaw Anas in a statement, said “the case travelled through the hands of three judges with Justice Baah being the latest assigned to the case at the express instance of Kennedy Agyapong.
"Throughout the trial, Mr Agyapong displayed absolute disdain and disrespect of the court and the lawyer of Anas but all attempts to cite him for contempt hit a dead end”.
But speaking on Kumasi-based Hello FM monitored by MyNewsGH.com, Lawyer for the defendant Lawyer Ralph Agyapong observed that, the statement by Anas implied Kennedy Agyapong chose the judge who sat on the case for the court hence he is preparing to cite him for contempt of court.
“That statement is very contemptuous. Before you called, I was drafting an application for contempt on it. Anas should come to court”, Lawyer Ralph Agyapong told Hello FM.
He also hinted that, in their next case, Anas Aremeyaw would have to appear personally in court.
“This time he should come personally because it is a queasy criminal …you cannot send anybody. He should come and tell the court if Kennedy Agyapong is the one who chooses a judge for the court. He would come and prove to the court if Kennedy Agyapong as an individual has the power to say I’m choosing a judge.” Lawyer Agyapong stressed.
According to him, since Anas is the Director of Tiger Eye PI, he has no other option than to appear in court personally because the Supreme Court has held that you cannot come to court and put on that face mask.
“No judge in this republic can go against an order of the Supreme Court, no judge below, so he has to come to court”, Lawyer Ralph Agyapong insisted.