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A member of the legal team of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Chris Ackumey, has said the recent alleged threats on the lives of judges could have been prevented, if persons who made similar irresponsible public comments in the past were duly punished.

In a Citi News interview, Mr. Ackumey cites Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyepong’s court case and his subsequent discharge in 2012, after the MP declared war and made some other explosive public comments, to buttress his point. Kennedy Agyapong was arrested for allegedly inciting NPP supporters to beat up their opponents. 

He was arrested over the comments but was discharged after subsequent hearings.

Mr. Ackumey, who is lawyer for Godwin Ako Gunn, one of the two men alleged to have threatened the lives of Ghanaian judges, denied the claims against his client, but condemned the threats allegedly issued against the judges.

“It is good that people who issue threat of death to any person must be condemned and punished, we cannot run away from that. But you see, we have been in this country where other people had made more serious threats of death not only to a group of people but to ethnic groupings like Ewes, Gas, Fantes, among others. I’m talking about Kennedy Agyapong.”

“Now among the judges who are now apprehensive, because they have been mentioned in particular, some of them are Ewes, Gas, Fantes, are they saying that at the time that Kennedy Agyapong made that threat on TV, they didn’t have any apprehension of death? If they have had apprehension and punished the culprits, it will not encourage other people to be making such threats of death on radio,” he added.

According to Chris Ackumey, “when Kennedy Agyapong was sent to court, it was a judge who freed him because the judge said he did not do anything to warrant criminal prosecution.”

“…here we are, because judges have been specifically mentioned, they are issuing bench warrant. Does it mean that the constitution of the land does not offer any protection to Gas, Ewes, Fantes or any other people except judges?”