The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie is angry at the “NDC rented press”, for forwarding his alleged contemptuous remarks to the nine panel of judges sitting on Ghana’s Presidential Election Petition.
He told Joy News on Friday that in his village, if somebody insults a chief outside his [chief] presence and another person goes ahead to report the insulting comment to the chief, it is the reporter who will be cited for contempt and not the person who made the insulting remark.
Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie was reacting to reports, he had been summoned to appear before the Supreme Court on Monday over an alleged recording in which he was heard criticizing the judges for punishing Sammy Awuku, Deputy Communications Director of the NPP.
The judges’ attentions were drawn to the recording through a story done by the Enquirer Newspaper.
The Presiding Judge William Atuguba hinted they would listen to the recording and take the necessary action against Sir John.
Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, who is popularly called Sir John, denied claims his name was mentioned at the court. He also denied making any contemptuous comments on radio and played down hints of a contemptuous charge likely to be brought against him by the nine panel of judges sitting on the case.
He accused the radio station which first played the recording of fabricating his voice.
In a seeming u-turn, however, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie told Joy News he has not received any invitation or summons from the court and if he receives it, he is ready to apologise to the judges if they ever find his remarks contemptuous.
He was however critical of the media report which drew the attention of the judges.
“The NDC rented press would want to ensure that whatever they sent to their Lordships, sees the light of day.”
“In my hometown it is said that if somebody insults a chief and the chief doesn’t hear it and then you go and broadcast it to the chief that you have been insulted by abcd.. in effect you are rather insulting the chief. That is what I do know happens at my village. I don’t know what pertains in the big cities like Accra because I am from the village.
He said he will be the first person to apologise to their Lordships if they found his comments contemptuous.
Source: Myjoyonline
