The Supreme Court has quashed a bench warrant issued in 2020 for the arrest of US-based Ghanaian journalist Kevin Taylor.
The warrant had been issued by a High Court over alleged contemptuous comments Taylor made against Justice Eric Kyei Baffour.
The apex court ruled that the warrant was unlawful and should not have been issued under the circumstances.
The decision effectively brings to an end a five-year legal standoff that stemmed from Taylor’s critical commentary on a case presided over by Justice Kyei Baffour.
The Accra High Court in January 2020 issued a bench warrant for the arrest of social media commentator Kevin Ebo Taylor.
The warrant, issued on Thursday, January 16, 2020, by Justice Eric Kyei-Baffour directed Taylor to appear before the court and explain why he should not be jailed for contempt.
This followed a video he circulated on Facebook, which the court deemed offensive and injurious to the administration of justice.
Justice Kyei-Baffour issued the order ahead of the cross-examination of Eugene Baffour-Bonnie, a former Board Chairman of the National Communications Authority (NCA) and one of five individuals standing trial for allegedly embezzling $4 million from the NCA.
In the video, Taylor accused Justice Kyei-Baffour of being elevated to the Court of Appeal as a reward for allegedly doing the government’s bidding in the ongoing trial.
Delivering his ruling, Justice Kyei-Baffour described Taylor’s comments as scandalous and a direct attack on the judiciary, intended to incite public disaffection toward the court.
