Supreme Court convicts Kpessa-Whyte for contempt after pleading guilty

Professor Kpessa-Whyte has been found guilty of contempt of court by the Supreme Court. Initially, he pleaded not guilty to the charge of scandalising the court but later changed his plea to guilty with an explanation, and then subsequently pleaded guilty.

A panel of five judges, led by Justice Mariama Owusu, convicted Professor Kpessa-Whyte based on his own admission of guilt.

The court had private discussions to determine the appropriate punishment after considering a plea for leniency from his lawyer, Dr. Justice Srem Sai.

Professor Kpessa-Whyte’s counsel requested the court to show mercy towards his client, emphasising that he has apologised and retracted the contemptuous comments made.

Following this development, the apex court cautioned and discharged Professor Michael Kpessah-Whyte after considering his apology and the mitigating prayer of his counsel.

Dr. Kpessa-Whyte’s controversial remarks were made in a recent Twitter post where he mentioned that the Supreme Court was being transformed into a “Stupid Court.”

Additionally, he criticised the current state of the judiciary, accusing it of partisanship and a lack of common sense.

These tweets came shortly after the Supreme Court decided to order the removal of NDC MP James Gyakye Quayson’s name from Parliament’s records due to procedural breaches during his nomination and election in 2020.

Following the tweet, Dr. Kpessa-Whyte received inquiries regarding his statement, particularly in relation to Ghana’s judiciary.

He clarified that his tweets were not specifically referring to the Ghanaian judiciary but were instead influenced by global developments, including those in the United States.

As a result of his comments, the Supreme Court has summoned Dr. Kpessa-Whyte, initiating a process that requires him to provide a valid explanation for his alleged contemptuous remarks.