One of the Justices before the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Anthony Henry Cofie, has disagreed with the calls for a legislation to cater for Contempt of court cases.
The law which exists in the United Kingdom, according to the Appeals Court judge, is not needed in Ghana since only few cases of contempt are recorded in the country.
His disagreement comes on the back of the Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis Xavier Sosu’s suggestion to get a law in Ghana to regulate how judges handle contempt cases, underscoring its potential impact on free expression.
But Justice Cofie told the Committee Wednesday, December 20, 2023, at his vetting that, despite the few cases of contempt being recorded in the country, it was necessary not to lose sight of the crucial tool that empowers the judges to protect themselves from threats and abuse against the Judiciary.
“I don’t think that there should be a law as we have now in the UK on contempt. In all honesty, how many contempt cases come before the court across the country in a year? they are very few. For the number of years that I have sat as a judge, I don’t even know the number of times I have convicted somebody of contempt,” he indicated.
He has aslo advised the public to be cautious on commenting on judiciary-related matters to avoid being caught up with the law.
President Akufo-Addo on November 10 nominated three Court of Appeal Justices to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court bench.
They include Justice Henry Anthony Cofie, Justice Yaw Asare Darko and Justice Richard Agyei Frimpong.
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