Supreme Court cites Prof. Kpessa-Whyte for contempt

The Supreme Court (SC) has cited a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof. Michael Kpessa-Whyte, for contempt and bringing the image of the court into disrepute.

Prof. Kpessa-Whyte is to appear before the court on Tuesday May 30, 2023 to answer questions and to explain why he should not be cited for contempt.

The summons issued to him alleged that he posted a series of tweets on May 19, 2023 which were contemptuous and scandalous.

Tweets

The tweets read as follows:

“The highest Court of the Land has been turned into a ‘Stupid Court’.

“They have succeeded in turning a Supreme Court into a Stupid Court. Common – sense is now a scarce commodity.”

“A major element in the death of democracies is partisanship in the delivery of justice.

Our judges need lessons in political philosophy and ethics.

“Time will tell.”

Prof. Kpessa-Whyte, who is also a lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, is expected to justify why he should not be cited for contempt of Court for scandalising the SC, bringing into ridicule the dignity, respect and stature of the SC as well as inciting prejudice against the court.

Attached to the summons were copies of a series of publications by various portals arising from Prof. Kpessa-Whyte’s tweet.

Prof. Kpessa-Whyte’s comments were made at a time of heated public discussion regarding the SC’s order to Parliament to expunge the name of James Gyakye Quayson from its records after it found that he had not renounced his Canadian citizenship at the time he filed his nomination forms to contest the Assin North polls in 2020.

Apology

Even before he appears before the court, the lecturer has explained in his statement that his tweet was not in any way related to the Assin North judgement.

“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 as stated on the face of the summons to show cause, but honestly at the time of my tweet, I had no knowledge of the SC’s decision as at 9: 59a.m. when I did the tweet,” he argued.

“I hereby retract the tweet in question; accordingly, the tweet has been deleted completely and pray for forgiveness,” an apology letter signed and issued by Prof. Kpessa-Whyte stated.