The Supreme Court of Ghana is set to deliver a crucial ruling on April 30 regarding the status of Ernest Yaw Kumi, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Akwatia. The case revolves around a Koforidua High Court’s decision that barred Kumi from holding himself as an MP and later found him guilty of contempt for defying the injunction.
Kumi’s lawyer, Gary Nimako Marfo, argued that the High Court judge erred by relying on a news article instead of an official gazette notification from the Electoral Commission (EC) when making its decision. He also claimed that the court ignored their pending applications to challenge its jurisdiction and still convicted Kumi for contempt.
However, the lawyer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Henry Boakye Yiadom, disagreed, stating that there was no legal requirement for a hard copy of the gazette in court and that filing an appeal does not automatically suspend proceedings.
The case dates back to January 3, when the court placed an injunction on Kumi’s swearing-in following a petition from Yiadom, who contested the election results. Despite the order, Kumi was sworn in on January 7, leading to his contempt charge.
Now, all eyes are on the Supreme Court’s final verdict, which will determine whether Kumi remains the MP for Akwatia.
