Montie 3: We Cannot Decide For The President, But . . . � George Loh Appeals

One of the Lawyers to the 3 imprisoned Montie FM contemnors, George Loh has said he cannot decide on an exact step for the President to take but knows he can act based on Article (72) of the constitution to look into the Supreme Court’s judgment against the three.

The three Montie FM panelists Salifu Maase, alias Mugabe, Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako-Gunn, were sentenced on Wednesday, 27th July to serve four months in jail and in addition pay an amount of ten thousand Ghana cedis each, after being found guilty of contempt by the Supreme Court, for threatening the lives of the judges who were presiding over a case on the credibility of the voters’ register.

Speaking to Richard Dela Sky on Thursday, July 28 edition of eye-witness news on CITI FM, he explained “I am amazed a colleague lawyer can say the president cannot under Article (72) decide to show mercy or pardon to persons after a court has finished ruling. Please we are lawyers in our rights and the person making this statement should go back and read his/her constitution again.”

“We agree that the court has taken an inherent decision . . .The president cannot be stopped by the fact that the court invoked inherent jurisdiction, if some lawyers claim it is, then what kind of extension of law are we are operating with,” he stated.

He asserted that the constitution has provided powers to the President, and all they are expecting is a humble appeal to his Excellency to exercise that power he has per Article (72) of the constitution if he so wishes.

According to him, yes, they (Montie 3) have offended the court by saying things that in the opinion of the judges amount to contempt, and they are not fighting that.

He said their general appeal is to the president to look at the circumstances of this case and show mercy.

“How he chooses to do it is what we cannot decide for him, since he would do that through consultations with the council of state. Frankly we cannot tell the president specifically what we want,” he added.