Counsel for the National Democratic Congress’ Parliamentary Candidate for Akwatia in the 2024 elections, Bernard Bediako Baidoo has expressed concerns about the misrepresentation of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Ernest Kumi case.
According to Baidoo, the apex court’s decision has been misinterpreted to suggest that it quashed the conviction of Ernest Kumi by the High Court, Koforidua.
However,Counsel for the NDC candidates said the assertions that the contempt convict was quashed was an incorrect interpretation.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled on two applications filed by Ernest Kumi.
READ: Supreme Court quashes Contempt conviction of Akwatia MP Ernest Kumi, prohibits judge
On the application for Certiorari and Prohibition dated January 8, 2024 (suit number J5/24/2025), the Supreme Court in a 4-1 majority decision quashed the contempt proceedings, execution of the bench warrant and the sentence was Ernest following a contempt conviction.
While on the second application for Certiorari dated February 24, 2025 (suit number J5/37/2025), the apex Court unanimously prohibited Justice Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe from presiding over the election petition.
The court granted some reliefs while dismissing others.
Baidoo emphasizes that the effect of the Supreme Court’s decision is that the validity of the petition against Ernest Kumi was affirmed, as was the conviction.
Lawyer Baidoo urges the public to disregard attempts to misinterpret the ruling and to cross-check with the reliefs filed in court.
Below is the full release:
BERNARD BEDIAKO BAIDOO, ESQ.
11/06/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SUPREME COURT AFFIRMS CONVICTION OF ERNEST KUMI
This morning, the Supreme Court of the Republic gave its decision in a Certiorari application brought before it by Hon. Enerest Kumi, the embattled Member of Parliament for Akwatia Constituency.
The suits before the court were in two (2) folds. The first was “An application for Certiorari and Prohibition” dated the 8th day of January, 2024 with suit number J5/24/2025 and the other “An application for Certiorari” dated the 24th day of February, 2025 with suit number J5/37/2025.
The Supreme Court thus summarized its decision as follows:
SUIT NUMBER J5/24/2025
Reliefs 1& 2 – Unanimously dismissed.
Relief 3- Unanimously granted.
SUIT NUMBER J5/37/2025
Reliefs 1, 2 & 3- Unanimously dismissed
Reliefs 4 & 5- Granted by a Majority decision of 4-1
The court also stated that their reasons would be available at the registry of the court as from the 2nd July, 2025.
We hereby attach copies of the applications filed by Ernest Kumi for your perusal to understand the said reliefs and what the Supreme Court said about each of them.
Unfortunately, we have taken note of the deliberate misinterpretation of the decision by our opponents to suggest that the Court has quashed the conviction of Ernest Kumi by the High Court, Koforidua.
We wish to state that this is an incorrect interpretation of what the Supreme Court held this morning.
For the avoidance of doubt, the effect of the decision of the Supreme Court is that the validity of the Petition against Ernest Kumi was affirmed. Same as the conviction. What the court rather did was to rather prohibit the trial judge from proceeding to hear the matter forthwith.
We therefore await the reasoning of the Supreme Court where we anticipate an order to have a different judge deal with the sentence of Ernest Kumi.
We hereby entreat the general public to disregard any such attempt to misinterpret the ruling of the Supreme Court and rather cross-check with the reliefs filed in court.
In the meantime, as we await the reasoning of the court, we wish to say that we are gratified by the said ruling in the sense that, by dismissing reliefs 1 in the J24 suit and relief 1 of the J37 suit, the court has confirmed our gazette notification filed in this case and has called into question the purported gazette notification filed by Ernest Kumi.
Hopefully, Ernest Kumi shall be answering to charges of fraud and perjury, after the Attorney General has advised his prosecution.
-END-
SIGNED
BERNARD BEDIAKO BAIDOO ESQ.
COUNSEL FOR 1ST INTERESTED PARTY (HON. HENRY BOAKYE YIADOM)
NDC CANDIDATE, 2024 ELECT
End
