Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (L) and Prince-Kamal Gumah (R)
Prince-Kamal Gumah, brother of the Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East through his lawyers is asking the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Akudzeto Ablakwa to render a public apology for “portraying him as an uncivilized, violent and barbaric person.”
In a letter signed by Justice Abdulai of Crown Legal Bureau and addressed to the Chairman of the Vetting Committee of Parliament, the legal representatives of Mr Gumah intimated that Mr Ablakwa during the vetting of Madam Hawa Koomson as Minister nominee for Fisheries and Aquaculture, displayed his picture and made comments which sought to cast a slur on his reputation and image.
“It is the information of our client that but for the timely intervention of Chairman of the Committee, who prevented him from continuing in that direction, the Hon. Member would have descended into areas that would completely damage the reputation of our client. Our client states that as a result of the innuendos and slur cast on his reputation by Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa, his business interests across the world and, political career have been adversely affected,” the letter stated.
The letter reads further that, “to this end not only does our client, via, this medium express his profound appreciation to you, he also, urges you to ensure that Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, renders him an unqualified apology.”
On the impact of the MPs action on his political and business career, lawyers for Prince-Kamal Gumah who is the Deputy Youth Organiser of the ruling New Patriotic Party, United States of America (USA) wing, stated that their client in addition to being a businessman is engaged with several business organisations and entities and that the conduct of Mr. Ablakwa could potentially reverse everything he has strenuously worked for and achieved in life.
The lawyers are pushing for the MP to retract his statements and apologize to their client publicly or in writing.
“Accordingly, having been instructed, we implore you to take steps to urge Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa to redeem the sinking reputation and business fortunes of our client, by rendering an apology, and retracting the false and dangerous information circulated around the world about him.
“Our client wishes to emphasize that he takes cognisance of Parliamentary immunities and privileges and as a result, accepts that his legal options are limited, however, he believes that steps can be taken by the Committee and or by the Hon. Member to prevent and or curtail the continuous damage of his reputation,” the lawyers stated.
On February 18, 2021, when Madam Hawa Koomson appeared before the Appointments Committee, Mr Ablakwa during his questioning of the nominee presented a picture of Mr Gumah and sought to link him with the violence that characterised the 2020 voter registration exercise in the Awutu Senya Constituency.
However, Mr Gumah during an interview with Kofi Adomah Nwanwani has revealed that despite being a right-hand man to his sister, he was not with her on the day of the violence as Mr Ablakwa had sought to portray.
