Justice of the Appeals Court, Anthony Henry Cofie, has expressed his disagreement with the proposal to legislate a law regulating contempt of court.
This disagreement arose during a discussion initiated by Madina’s Member of Parliament, Francis Xavier Sosu, who highlighted the necessity of regulating how judges handle contempt cases, underscoring its potential impact on free expression.
Addressing the vetting committee on Wednesday, December 20, Justice Cofie emphasized that, although contempt cases are not frequent, the power to address them is a crucial tool that empowers judges to counter individuals seeking to abuse and threaten the judiciary.
“I don’t think that there should be a law as we have now in the UK on contempt. In all honesty, how many contempt cases come before the court across the country in a year? they are very few. For the number of years that I have sat as a judge, I don’t even know the number of times I have convicted somebody of contempt.”
In addition, Justice Cofie cautioned individuals to exercise circumspection and control their emotions when discussing matters related to the judiciary to avoid potential legal consequences.
President Akufo-Addo on November 10 nominated three Court of Appeal Justices to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court bench.
They include Justice Henry Anthony Cofie, Justice Yaw Asare Darko and Justice Richard Agyei Frimpong.