BNI statement not enough to save Montie panellists - Amaliba

Private legal practitioner, lawyer Abraham Amaliba said the statement issued by the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) over ongoing investigations on the threats on lives of judges will not absorb the persons at the center of the controversy.

The lawyer who is a member of the NDC legal team argued that, although the BNI after interrogating the two panelists, established that Alistair Nelson, and Godwin Ako Gunn are incapable of harming the judges.

“Further checks by the BNI have, however, established that the suspects were incapable of carrying out their pronouncements but did so in a show of needless bravado,” portions of a statement from the BNI read.

Commenting on the statement in an interview with Agyemang Prempeh on GH Entertainment on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, lawyer Amaliba said this is good and what it means is that, "we don't need to deploy policemen to the judges’ houses, but it doesn't absorb them from the statements they made."

According to him, despite the fact that the two panelists are members of the ruling party just like himself, he condemns the statement.

"Some have said that the two panelists are stalwarts of the NDC; I'm also a member of the NDC but i condemn those statements, it’s unacceptable in a democratic dispensation like ours [Ghana]."

The lawyer was however quick to add that, this is not the first time such an utterance have been made and because other people have gone free from making statements like that of the two panelists, they also jump into bandwagon to issue the threats on the judges.

He quizzed, "but let's ask ourselves; is this this the first time?"

In his view ''if we had cracked the whip earlier on, the two panelists would have guard themselves from issuing those threats. He stressed, politicians have made statements which are defamatory and has the potential of bringing this country into chaos, but went free.

I think that as a nation; and most importantly the media should blacklists such persons from their programs, he underscored. Lawyer Amaliba noted that, if Ghana should be in turmoil today, nobody is going ask the identity of the host on whose show, an inflammatory statement was made or said; and his family but rather, every innocent citizen will be killed.

''So let’s condemn all these acts whether it comes from the NDC, NPP, CPP or any political party. Ghana is bigger than all of ours.''