Prof. Michael Kpessa-Whyte, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) member, has been cited by the Supreme Court (SC) for contempt and tarnishing the court's reputation.
On Tuesday, May 30, 2023, Prof. Kpessa-Whyte must appear before the court to answer queries and provide justifications for why he should not be charged with contempt.
According to the summons served on him, he sent out a string of scandalous and disdainful tweets on May 19, 2023.
Tweets
As seen in the tweets:
"The Supreme Court has been reduced to a stupid court."
"They were able to convert the Supreme Court into a dumb court. Nowadays, common sense is a rare commodity.
Partisanship in the administration of justice is a significant factor in the decline of democracies.
Lessons in political philosophy and ethics are necessary for our judges.
As they say, "Time will tell."
Prof. Kpessa-Whyte, who is also a lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, is anticipated to defend himself against being charged with contempt of court for embarrassing the Supreme Court, demeaning its stature and dignity, and inciting hostility towards the court.
Copies of a number of publications related to Prof. Kpessa-Whyte's tweet that were published by various portals were attached to the summons.
The statements made by Prof. Kpessa-Whyte came at a time when the SC's directive to Parliament to remove James Gyakye Quayson's name from its records was the subject of a contentious public debate.
Once it was discovered that when he submitted his nomination paperwork to run for office in Assiniboine North in 2020, he had not relinquished his Canadian citizenship,
Apology
The lecturer has already said in his statement that his tweet had nothing to do with the Assin North ruling before even showing up in court.
As stated on the face of the summons to show cause, "I have observed that Ghanaweb and other media publications sought to associate my tweet with the decision of the SC in the Assin North matter, but honestly, at the time of my tweet, I had no knowledge of the SC's decision as of 9:59 a.m.," he claimed.
A letter of apology written by Prof. Kpessa-Whyte read, "I now withdraw the tweet in question; thus, the message has been removed entirely, and I ask for forgiveness.
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