Court issues bench warrant for the arrest of Akwatia MP
The High Court in Koforidua presided over by Justice Senyo Amedahe, has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the Member of Parliament for Akwatia, Ernest Yaw Kumi, for failing to appear in court after he was found guilty of contempt.
This verdict stems from Kumi’s blatant disregard for an interim injunction that prevented him from being sworn in as a legislator.
Earlier, the court had barred him from taking the oath of office until a legal dispute was resolved. Notably, Kumi defied this order by proceeding with his swearing-in in Parliament.
The court, citing substantial evidence of his wilful defiance, concluded that Kumi’s actions constituted contempt.
Furthermore, attempts by the Minority Caucus in Parliament to rationalise his absence from the hearing through an official letter were rejected by the judge, who emphasised that Kumi had disobeyed the court’s authority.
With the bench warrant now active, law enforcement is expected to act swiftly to arrest Kumi and uphold the court’s ruling.
Background
It will be recalled that on January 2, 2025, the court granted an injunction request filed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate, Henry Boakye Yiadom, against the Electoral Commission (EC), Ernest Kumi, and the Clerk of Parliament, halting Kumi’s swearing-in ceremony.
This comes after the Electoral Commission (EC) on December 12, 2024, declared Mr. Kumi of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) the winner with 19,269 votes, while Henry Boakye-Yiadom of the NDC polled 17,206 votes.
After hearing arguments in the case, the court issued an interim injunction, effectively barring Mr. Kumi from being recognised as the MP-elect for the Akwatia constituency until further notice.
Meanwhile, the lawyer for the NPP MP, Gary Nimako Marfo, argued that the injunction was improperly filed and based on an inappropriate petition.
He further challenged that election results can only be challenged 21 days after they have been published and gazetted, urging the court to dismiss both the injunction order and the petition entirely.