GHANA- Thursday, July 30, 2020/ https://africanpostonline.com/– Running mate of the opposition, National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman has defended her support for the infamous Monroe three who were jailed in 2016 for contempt of court after threatening the lives of some Supreme Court Justices.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said her signing of the petition for the pardon of the convicts, was not an endorsement of their actions.
The judges at the time, were hearing a case challenging the credibility of the voters’ register.
The three; Salifu Maase, Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn received support from many NDC members and government appointees, including Prof. Opoku-Agyemang who was the Education Minister at the time after they were sentenced to a four month jail term.
The then President, John Mahama exercised his constitutional prerogative of mercy after petitions were presented to him mostly by members of his government as well as members of the NDC. The three were released after they served a month in jail.
However, some critics viewed the support of the convicts who attacked the judiciary as a low point of the Mahama administration and some of its members, especially the women.
Speaking in an interview, on Cape Coast-based Live FM in the Central Region, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang maintained that the Mahama administration acted within the remit of the law.
“The case was not tampered with. The court process was allowed to continue to its conclusion. For those of us who listened to the comments, we told them their utterances were wrong so they should go and apologise. We made them apologise.”
“In the judicial process, there is something called a pardon or clemency. Even in recent times, they have pardoned some people,” she noted.
The running mate of the NDC has paid a courtesy call on the chief and people of Komenda, her hometown, to seek their support as she commences campaign towards the upcoming elections.
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I’m Deborah Aba Narkoah. I’m an avid reader, writer and public speaker.
