Election Petition: Dr Ayine apologises to Supreme Court

Dr Dominic Ayine, a Spokesperson for the Petitioner in the 2020 Election trial, has rendered an unqualified apology to the Supreme Court in his comments to the effects that the Court had a “predetermined agenda” to rule against the petitioner, Mr John Dramani Mahama.

He made the statement during a post-trial press briefing on February 16.

Dr Ayine rendered the apology after the Supreme Court had summoned him, in the company of his lawyers, to explain why he should not be cited for contempt.

He accepted that his remarks were scandalous and deeply regretted the harm done.

Dr Ayine, addressing the media after the close of the court sitting on the content of his apology, said: “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 I made in attributing impropriety to the Supreme Court of Ghana."

He said on the said day, and on hindsight, he actually crossed the line in his attempt to explain the proceedings of the Court to the media.

“My attention was drawn to this fact immediately after the briefing by Mr Frank Davis, a member of the Second Respondent’s legal team,” he said.

Dr Ayine said it was not his intention to scandalise the Court or bring it into disrepute and “in these circumstances, I wish to apologise unreservedly to the Court."

Earlier, Mr Frank Bechem, the Lead Counsel for Dr Ayine, said he was disappointed at his client and that there was no excuse for his comments, however, he had shown a great remorse for his actions.

“He deeply regrets his actions,” Mr Bechem added.

The seven-member panel, chaired by Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, accepted Dr Ayine’s apology saying: "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.”

The Chief Justice said the contemnor should use the same medium, through which he made his earlier comments, to render the apology and retract the remarks.

"We are not going to find him or bond him but at least, coming from someone who has been a Deputy Attorney General, if we do not take any action, it is going to send a bad signal out there,” he said.

Chief Justice Anin-Yeboah said if the apology was done, the court would reassemble on Thursday, February 23, 2021, and strike out the matter and that they were not exacting any serious punitive measures against Dr Ayine.