I have no regrets hiring Atta Akyea – Ken Kuranchie

Managing Editor of the Daily Searchlight Newspaper, Mr. Ken Kuranchie, says he has “absolutely no regrets” for hiring Abuakwa South Member of Parliament Samuel Atta-Akyea as Counsel to defend him during his criminal contempt trial a little over a month ago.

He told XYZ News in an interview on Thursday that: “I believe absolutely in the qualities of Mr. Atta Akyea”.

Mr. Kuranchie was found guilty of criminal contempt and jailed for 10 days for having defended the description of the nine-member panel hearing the election petition case as “hypocritical and selective”.

Those words were used against the Justices by a member of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Sammy Awuku, who was scolded by the Bench and also barred from attending the hearing any further.

Mr. Kuranchie’s repose of confidence in the Lawyer-Legislator comes on the heels of commentary by some pundits such as Insight Newspaper Chief Editor Kwesi Pratt Jr. and Deputy National Youth Council Coordinator Prince Derrick Adjei that a custodial sentence could have been averted by Mr. Kuranchie if only he had had proper legal advice.

Ahead of similar contempt hearings against the party’s General Secretary, Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, also known as Sir John and fellow party Communicator, Mr. Hopeson Adorye, on Wednesday, Mr. Derrick Adjei advised the Contemnors against engaging the services of Mr. Atta Akyea to avert the fate of Mr. Kuranchie.

Although the two Politicians were successfully defended by their Counsel, former Attorney General Nii Ayikoi Otoo, Mr. Kuranchie says the former Minister would have been a wrong choice of defence lawyer for his case.

According to him, per the circumstances surrounding his case, Mr. Atta Akyea, was the best Counsel to have represented him.

“For my case Mr. Ayikoi Otoo would have been the wrong lawyer…for the case I intended to make, I think that if I had sought the Counsel of Mr. Ayikoi Otoo, I would have made a mistake. I think that for what they wanted to do yesterday, he was brilliant but for my case ‘no’; I think I needed a different Lawyer”.