Montie 3 case: Another judge recuses himself

One more judge, Justice Paul Baffoe Bonnie, has recused himself from the ongoing contempt hearing involving some two panelists, a radio host and management of Accra-based Montie FM.

The development brings to three, the number of judges to have recused themselves from the case so far. Last week, the Chief Justice Georgina Wood and Justice Nasiru Sulemana Gbadegbe stayed out of the trial.

Justice Bonnie withdrew from the trial because of his family ties with one of the directors of Montie FM, Mr Baffoe Bonnie.

Meanwhile, the contemnors and the management of the station including its reported owner Harry Zakour are in court awaiting the verdict of the apex court.

Reports say the legal team of the station and the contemnors pleaded with the court not to play back the commentary that were made on the station on that day.

However, the court refuted their plea and played the tape.

Background

Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn, who were panelists on ‘Pampaso’, a political programme on Montie FM in Accra on June 29, warned judges of Ghana’s highest court to be wary of their conduct in the case involving the Electoral Commission and Mr Abu Ramadan if they did not want to suffer the fate of the three members of the bench who were shot to death and burnt on June 30, 1982 in the era of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).

The Supreme Court had to adjourn the case to July 18 after the contemnors argued that they were not served with the writ until the morning of the hearing day, a position which was corroborated by the court registrar.\

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