The convicted Montie trio of Salifu Maase aka Mugabe, Godwin Ako Gunn and Alistair Tairo Nelson, seem to be learning in a hard way after being sentenced to four months’ imprisonment each for contempt, as they plead for clemency.
The three, Mugabe, the host of ‘Pampaso’ political talk-show programme on Montie Fm and his two panelists, Ako Gunn and Alistair Nelson, have written to President John Mahama from their Nsawam Medium Security Prison base, asking the president to free them.
Lawyer for the convicts, George Loh, who is Member of Parliament (MP) for North Dayi, revealed that his clients had written a joint petition to President Mahama to have mercy on them.
The Montie 3 (as they are now known) had threatened to kill some of the Justices of the Supreme Court and get one Nash of Mataheko to ‘marry’ the Chief Justice, if war breaks out following an electoral case the Justices ruled on.
Their conviction has since generated a huge furore across the country, with the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and government ministers racing to outdo each other to catch the president’s eye by signing a contrived petition initiated by the NDC for President Mahama to use his power of prerogative of mercy as enshrined in Article 72 of the country’s Constitution to grant them pardon.
Plea
The petitioners, who are obviously feeling the heat in the confines of the prison yard, have profusely begged President Mahama to tamper justice with mercy.
In the said letter, the convicts could not but admit that “our statements were unguarded, but we plead that the sentence is harsh and excessive,” even though the legal practitioners have said they could have been given a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment each as the law prescribes for contempt charges.
But according to the Montie 3, they never intended to harm anybody and that they got carried away by their emotions in making the statement during the said programme.
“We unreservedly apologized for our conduct before the court, and continue to do so. We humbly petition Your Excellency, the President of the Republic to exercise your prerogative of mercy under Article 72 of the 1992 Constitution,” they pleaded.
Grounds
“We are law-abiding citizens of this dear country of ours who were contributing to topical issues of the day, but unfortunately, got carried away.”
Aside that, they said, “We are first offenders. We expressed and continue to express remorse for our unguarded statements and humbly reiterate that in making those statements we never intended to harm any person.”
After being sent to prison, the trio now claims, “We have learnt our lessons and promise to be guided by this bitter and painful experience.”
The convicts, who had boasted that they were not afraid of prison, have suddenly realized that they have young families and asked Mr Mahama: “We humbly ask you also to please take into consideration the fact that we have young families who have been embarrassed and devastated by our unfortunate conduct and our subsequent incarceration.”
Moderator’s Beef
But Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Right Reverend Professor Emmanuel Martey, like many others, have descended heavily on those describing the Supreme Court verdict on the three, including serving ministers in the Mahama-led NDC administration, as harsh.
For him, such persons are nation wreckers.
Speaking at the 50th anniversary celebration service of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Logos Congregation at Achimota College, the man of God insisted that the court was right in exacting the four-month jail term to the trio, adding that the rule of law must work at all times.
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