MONTIE FM OWNERS STORM COURT

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Salifu Maase aka Mugabe, the embattled radio host and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) panelists, who threatened to kill Justices of the Supreme Court over issues involving the Electoral Commission (EC), are expected to know their fate at the apex court today.

Mugabe, host of Montie FM’s afternoon political programme called ‘Pampaso,’ together with Alistair Tairo Nelson, 41, and Godwin Ako Gunn, 39, have been summoned to appear before the court for contempt.

The owner of the controversial radio station, Harry Zakour, a vice chairperson of the NDC, is also expected to be in court as he has been summoned too.

Mr Zakour had publicly proclaimed ownership of the radio station, claiming that he set it up to compete with Peace FM, because the radio station is seen more as a New Patriotic Party (NPP) mouthpiece.

Court Summons

Each contemnor had summons entitled: “Summons to Show Cause” issued on Tuesday, July 5 and signed by James Mensah, acting registrar of the Supreme Court in Accra, and was given under the hand and seal of the Chief Justice, Mrs. Georgina Theodora Wood.

In the case of Ako Gunn, the summons read, “You, Godwin Ako Gunn are hereby ordered to appear before this court on Tuesday, the 12th day of July, 2016 at 9:30 am in the forenoon or soon thereafter as you can be heard to show cause why you should not be committed to prison for contempt of court.”

It further stated, “It has been alleged that as a panelists on the said programme, you threatened and scandalize this court in a manner which if proven against you would amount to contempt of this honourable court.”

According to the summons, the actions of Ako Gunn thereby “scandalized the court, defied and lowered the authority of the court and brought the authority of the court into disrepute.”

Alistair Nelson had the same summons prepared for him.

In the case of Mugabe, the summons said that the host allegedly “spurred on” the two panelists to “threaten and scandalize the court in a manner which if proven against you would amount to contempt of this honourable court.”   

The owner of Montie FM, which is a sister station of pro-NDC Radio Gold, has also been summoned.

His summon read: “You, the owner of Montie FM, are hereby ordered to appear before this court on Tuesday, 12^th July, 2016 at 9:30am in the forenoon or so soon thereafter as you can be heard to show cause why you should not be committed to prison for contempt of court for thereby scandalizing the courts, defying, lowering the authority of the court and bringing the authority of this court into disrepute.”

It is not clear if he will appear before the court.

As at press time yesterday, it was not clear whether all the persons cited for contempt had received the summons.

However, ahead of the hearing, a group calling itself Friends of Montie Fm said it would hold a vigil in solidarity with the contemnors.

“Executive members of the above mentioned social group are inviting our friends in the media fraternity, the general public and listeners of Montie fm - a sister station of Radio Gold and TV GOLD under the umbrella of Network Broadcasting Company Limited - to a night vigil ahead of the Supreme Court hearing tomorrow.

“In this regard, we, the executives and members of Friends of Montie fm, Mugabe Maase, Alistair Nelson and Ako Gunn, are appealing to all and sundry to, as a matter of showing solidarity to the station and the three, come for the night vigil today, 11th July, 2016 from 9pm to 10pm at the forecourt of Radio Gold,” a statement signed by Patrick Asford Boadu said.

Specific Threats

The panelists, Alistair Tairo Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn, openly threatened the lives of the judges when they said they would chase them to their houses.

While Ako Gunn preferred to run down Justices Sule Gbadegbe, Jones V. Dotse and Chief Justice Georgina Wood, Allistair promised that somebody called Nash at Mataheko, Accra, was ready to ‘marry’ the Chief Justice when war breaks out. It’s not clear why Nash would want to marry the Chief Justice, knowing that she is happily married.

CJ As President

Mugabe specifically accused the Chief Justice of using the Supreme Court to usurp the work of the EC so that there could be power vacuum to enable her to become President of Ghana, and roared, “They should come and arrest all of us and jail us.”

He also said the Chief Justice wanted to set the country on fire.

Cocaine Scandal

Alistair said he had always insisted that the Chief Justice should be removed because she got embroiled in a cocaine scandal and accused her of trying to ‘pour oxygen’ in the fire by directing the EC on what to do.