The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Committee says he disagrees with claims that comments by the Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II calling for the discontinuation of the criminal trial of James Gyakye Quayson are offensive and unethical.
Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor says the Dormaahene did not breach any magistrates and judges’ code of conduct, and it is wrong for anyone to suggest that he be hauled before the judicial council to face disciplinary measures.
He challenged accusers of the Dormaahene to point him to any code of conduct he breached.
“I disagree totally with the immoral suggestion they made, that this matter be looked into by the judicial council, especially the disciplinary committee of the judicial council,” he said in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Monday.
The South Dayi MP’s comment comes after the Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, asked President Akufo-Addo and the Attorney-General to intervene and stop the prosecution of the MP-elect, James Gyakye Quayson.
He made his request while speaking at the 10th-anniversary lecture of John Evans Atta Mills in Sunyani over the weekend.
But commenting on the development, a Member of the General Legal Council and a former President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Sam Okudzeto condemned the Dormaahene for his comments on the ongoing trial of Assin North MP-elect, James Gyakye Quayson.
He described the comments as “wrong and senseless.”
According to Mr Okudzeto, the Dormaahene as a High Court judge was wrong to have publicly called for the criminal trial to be dropped.
He called on the public to petition the judicial council for the Dormaahene to be sanctioned.
But Mr Nelson Dafeamekpor says there is nothing wrong with the medium he chose to make the comment, adding that it did not breach any law.
“The Dormaahene, first of all, he is the Dormaahene – the Paramount Chief of the Dormaa Traditional area and he was invited to the function in that capacity. Two – he is a trained lawyer, three – he is a member of the judiciary of this country. Is anyone saying that the Dormaahene in these various capacities cannot speak to a matter such as this in the manner that he did?” he asked.
He made a reference to Attorney General, Godred Yeboah Dame’s comments on Gyakye Quayson’s case, saying his comments were prejudicial.
“Didn’t the Attorney General himself go to court to say that Quayson will go to jail? Didn’t the Attorney General go to a court of law to make a very prejudicial comment? Didn’t the President of this Republic stand on a political platform and mention that Quayson will go to jail?
“So if the Dormaahene in all these says that if all these prejudicial comments preceded the election and the election has been held and he thinks that because he succeeded, the Attorney General should exercise his mandate under Article 88 and enter a nolle prosequi, what is so immoral about this?”
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