The Minister of Trade and Industry, Kobina Tahir Hammond popularly known as KT Hammond, has said he was satisfied with the ruling on the contempt charges brought against him by lawyers of Assin North Member of Parliament James Gyakye Quayson.
The High Court on Thursday, October 19 ruled that KT Hammond was not guilty of contempt of court.
According to the court, the lawyers of Mr Gyakye Quayson were unable to adduce evidence of what KT Hammond said which they deemed contemptuous.
Speaking in an interview with TV3’s Joseph Ackah-Blay after the court ruling on Thursday, October 19, KT Hammond said when asked whether he was satisfied with the verdict “Of course, I am very satisfied with the decision of the court. Her Ladyship was very articulate on the point, very legal in her analysis, and very clear in her analysis. In the end, freedom of speech has been vindicated.
“The only short message I would want the lawyers of Gyakye Quayson to understand is, you don’t take KT Hammond to court as a victim as stated by their lawyer Mr Abraham Amaliba.
“[Amaliba] stood here at the forecourt of the court and told the whole world that they decided their option or discretion to institute this application against me as a victim, those chose me as a victim. KT Hammond is nobody’s victim at all. They must go back and read the rudiments of the law, the guys should understand the principles of the law, they just simply cannot decide to expend the court’s time, expend the individual’s time for no good reason.”
Mr Quayson cited the Adansi Asokwa Member of Parliament for contempt following an interview he granted a Kumasi-based television station.
In the said interview on Oyerepa TV on Tuesday, July 4, KT Hammond, as he is popularly known, proclaimed that Mr Gyakye Quayson will go to prison.
Lawyers of the Assin North Constituency filed a writ at the High Court on Friday, July 7, claiming the interview violated the right of Mr Gyakye Quayson to be presumed innocent as well as enjoy a fair trial.
In the writ, a counsel for Mr Quayson Justin Pwavra Teriwajah stated that “the said words of the Respondent are also in contempt of this Honourable Court as they are extremely prejudicial to the lawful process of this Honourable Court”.
He added that KT Hammond was brazenly usurping the function of the trial judge.
He said the Court as per Article 126(2) of the 1992 Constitution has the power to commit KT Hammond “and the people of his ilk for contempt of itself in order to keep the streams of justice pure”.
The writ wanted the Minister to be brought before the Court “and tried for contempt of court and sentenced to prison if found guilty”.
Mr Gyakye Quayson was standing trial for perjury after he was said to have lied in filing his nomination ahead of the 2020 elections despite holding dual citizenship.