Member of Parliament for Akwatia, Ernest Yaw Kumi
Interested party, Lawyer Bernard Bediako has stated that if the police have been served with the bench warrant for Ernest Yaw Kumi, the Member of Parliament for Akwatia, they are within their rights to proceed with his arrest.
Speaking to GHOne TV court correspondent Murtala Inusa after a court session, he emphasized that there is no interim injunction against the arrest warrant.
According to Bediako, while the Supreme Court has stayed Kumi’s sentencing, the conviction still stands.
He clarified that the court’s decision was based on concerns that if Kumi were sentenced and later found to have been wrongfully convicted, there would be no remedy. However, the ruling does not nullify his conviction or prevent his arrest.
“As we speak, no court has overturned the conviction,” Bediako stressed. “There is no interim injunction against the bench warrant, so if the police or any relevant authority has been served, they can proceed with the arrest, and no one can contest that decision.”
He further explained that the court’s stay only applies to sentencing, not the conviction itself.
“Don’t forget, sentencing is different from conviction. The court has ruled that he shouldn’t be sentenced until we return on the 12th to determine the next course of action,” he added.
The lawyer also pointed out that one of the justices dissented from the majority decision, underscoring the complexity of the case. Nonetheless, the majority upheld that while Kumi should not be sentenced for now, his status as a convict remains unchanged.
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