Lawyer for the NDC in the ongoing 2020 Election Petition, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has acted on the ruling of the Supreme Court for him to use the same medium through which he made comments that were considered contemptuous.
Minutes after the ruling by the court on his contempt case, the former Deputy Minister for Justice and Attorney General addressed the media - the same medium through which he made his earlier comments, and purged himself of the contempt charges.
Earlier, Ayine had apologized to the court, an apology the court accepted, but charged him to go back to the media and correct the wrong impression he created through his comments.
"We are comfortable with the apology but what we can do, is to let him go back and purge the contempt. He spoke to the whole world on television. He should tell the people that he is very very sorry and what he did was wrong. And that is all.
"We are not going to fine him. We are not going to give him a bond but at least, coming from someone who has acted as Attorney General if we don't take any action, it is going to send a dangerous signal elsewhere. So, if he does it today, the court will assemble on Thursday and just strike out this matter. That is all. We are not exacting any serious, punitive measures against him" Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah ruled.
Addressing the media after the close of court sitting on Monday, February 22, Dominic Ayine said,
"I am here in respect of the remarks that I made to you on the 16th of February after court proceedings. Those remarks were widely publicized by the media. Both mainstream and social media carried them, and they went viral. I have looked at what I said that day and I have come to the conclusion that I went overboard; I crossed the line with respect to the remarks that I made in attributing impropriety to the Supreme Court of Ghana," he said.
He continued to read a copy of the apology to the media in which he stated his regret for the comments made, adding that he always tried not to appropriate impropriety to the Court but on hindsight, he realized how wrong he was.
"In carrying out my responsibilities, I had always made certain, that I explained the day's proceedings to the understanding of the press corps and fellow citizens with civility and without seeking to attribute acts of impropriety to the Supreme Court or the respondents.
"On the said day, I thought I had maintained that approach at the press briefing but on hindsight, I actually crossed the line, in suggesting that the court had a predetermined agenda, among others, to rule against the petitioner. It was not my intention to scandalize the court or bring it into disrepute," he read from his apology.
He concluded with the words, "In the circumstances, I wish to apologize unreservedly to the court."
Supreme Court judges humble Dr. Ayine, following contempt#ElectionPetition | Tsatsu Tsikata | Akoto Ampaw pic.twitter.com/PV6DDjOhGe
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