MICHAEL ANKOMAH NIMFAH vs. JAMES GYAKYE QUAYSON & 2 ORS , CONTEMNOR: DR. MICHAEL KPESSA WHYTE [2023]DLSC16136

MICHAEL ANKOMAH NIMFAH vs. JAMES GYAKYE QUAYSON & 2 ORS , CONTEMNOR: DR. MICHAEL... [2023]DLSC16136

Date	2023-05-30
Suit No.	WRIT J1/11/2022
Citation No.	[2023]DLSC16136

OWUSU (MS) JSC (PRESIDING)

LOVELACE-JOHNSON

PROF. MENSA – BONSU

ASIEDU

GAEWU JJSC

DR. JUSTICE SREM SAI FOR THE CONTEMNOR WITH GODWIN TAMAKLOE. CONTEMNOR IN THE DOCKET

[2023]DLSC16136
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MICHAEL ANKOMAH NIMFAH<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a>JAMES GYAKYE
QUAYSON &amp; 2 ORS<o:p></o:p>CONTEMNOR: DR. MICHAEL KPESSA WHYTE<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME
COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

WRIT J1/11/2022&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DATE: 30TH MAY 2023&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>

</div>PARTIES<o:p></o:p>CONTEMNOR
PRESENT<o:p></o:p>COUNSEL <o:p></o:p>DR. JUSTICE SREM SAI FOR THE CONTEMNOR WITH GODWIN
TAMAKLOE.<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:
normal;tab-stops:82.3pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">CONTEMNOR IN THE DOCKET<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">OWUSU (MS) JSC (PRESIDING),
LOVELACE-JOHNSON, PROF. MENSA – <o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">BONSU, ASIEDU &amp; GAEWU JJSC&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: black; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">CONTEMPT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;BY COURT<o:p></o:p>The
Respondent is found guilty on his own plea and is convicted accordingly<o:p></o:p>Counsel
for the Respondent pleads for mitigation saying the Respondent has since
written a letter of Apology to the Acting Chief Justice. &nbsp;This morning too he has apologized in the
Ghanaian Times. Further, the Contemnor pull down tweet from his page and published
an apology about three times on his tweeter handle using the same medium. Prays
that in all humility and sack cloth to plead for mercy and clemency from the
seat of Justice. The Respondent is also undertaken that such a regrettable
action would never happen again. The Contemnor commits to defend the integrity
of the Courts the Judges and the entire Judiciary. <o:p></o:p>Barimah
Yaw Kodie Oppong, a lawyer at the bar puts in a plea in mitigation for the
Respondent.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;BY COURT<o:p></o:p>Judgment
of the Court is unanimous.<o:p></o:p>A
few minutes ago, we found the Respondent guilty on his own plea and convicted
him accordingly. We then rose to consider our sentence and we proceed to do so
now.<o:p></o:p>Before
passing sentence, we have taken note of the remorse shown by the Respondent in
his letter of Apology to the Acting Chief Justice through the Judicial
Secretary dated 25th May, 2023 which has been placed before us. We
take particular notice of paragraph 4, 5, and 6 which read:<o:p></o:p>4. Sincerely,
the tweet was not done with the intent to scandalize or denigrate a revered
institution such as the Supreme Court of Ghana for which I have tremendous amount
of respect and administration. These are consequences I never intended,
although I do accept responsibility that, I could have exercised better judgment
in my choice of words.<o:p></o:p>5. Please
permit me to state unequivocally that I have no reason to slander our Supreme
Court and sincerely apologize unreservedly for any Pain and discomfort my
tweets may have caused the Chief Justice, the Supreme Court and the entire
Judiciary.<o:p></o:p>6. I
hereby retract the tweet in question accordingly, the tweet has been deleted
completely and I pray for the forgiveness.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The power to commit for contempt is an age
–old tool to protect the dignity of the administration of justice. In the case
of The REPUBLIC vs LIBERTY PRESS LTD AND
OTHERS [1968] GLR 123 -138 where the Respondents &nbsp;were attached for contempt for printing and
publishing an article about a criminal appeal pending before the Court of
Appeal. In delivering the Judgment of the case referred to supra, AKUFO – ADDO C.J</b</main>