A Former Deputy Attorney General, Joseph Kpenka, has stated that FixTheCountry supporters should allow the laws to work in the trial of their convener, Oliver Barker Vormawor.
Joseph Kpenka expressed surprise at the conduct of the FixTheCountry supporters questioning if they were condoning with the crime their leader has committed. According to him, the supporters massing up at the court and posing as security threat is not necessary.
“We should allow the laws to work. If at the end he is innocent and then thinks that he has been wrongly tried or arrested, there is a remedy.”
Joseph Kpenka
The Former Deputy Attorney General admonished the supporters to try and differentiate between sensationalism and other issues and things that will actually help develop the nation. He explained that if the supporters continue with the sensationalism, “we only have one Ghana and we might tear it apart.”
Touching on if there should be an amendment of the criminal offences act with regards to the growing trends of offences, he stated that a lot has been done in that regard. He explained that because of the emerging trends of crimes with the latest being from social media, the criminal offence act is always amended.
“Even last two years, we did one and I suspect last year another one was done. All the time we do make amendments. Because of the proliferation and the emergence of certain trends on social media, certain portions of the acts has been looked at again.”
Joseph Kpenka
Coup comment was reckless
Speaking on Mr. Barker Vormawor’s comment on staging a Coup in the country, Mr. Kpenka stated that it was a reckless comment from him as a law maker.
“I’m surprised because this is an astute lawyer who at the same time is a researcher. So, for him to go publicly to make the statement he is alleged to have made is most unfortunate. When I heard it, I was in doubt. I read it and I very much doubted it came from him. I thought it had been concocted by someone and put on him.”
Joseph Kpenka
Mr. Kpenka indicated that for the FixTheCountry convener to have made such comments regarding a coup, is very serious. He stated that such comments should have come from a person who can “find himself excuses” with no idea the damage or the consequences the statement could incur.
“That’s why sometimes judges take exception to conducts by people who should know better. If you’re a constitutional lawyer and you know the basis of our history and all that, then you make reckless statements that has the tendency of tearing us apart, you ought to be put before court for you to interpret it.”
Joseph Kpenka
The Former Attorney General averred that it is likely the charges against him may change as the state seems fit.
Meanwhile, the Ashaiman District Court on Monday, February 28, 2022 ordered the removal of the FixTheCountry Movement convener, Oliver Barker-Vormawor from its premises. According to reports, the convener had engaged in heated exchanges with the magistrate, Eleanor Barnes Botwe, where he described the court as a “Kangaroo Court”.
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