The Supreme Court has, by a 4-1 majority decision, quashed a bench warrant issued in 2020 for the arrest of controversial social media commentator, Kelvin Taylor, ruling that the warrant violated his constitutional right to due process.
A five-member panel presided over by Justice Omoro Issiful Tanko granted an application for certiorari filed by Taylor’s legal team, which argued that the warrant was issued without affording him the opportunity to be heard.
The warrant, issued on January 16, 2020, by then High Court judge, Justice Eric Kyei Baffour (now elevated to the Court of Appeal), directed state security agencies to arrest Kelvin Taylor over alleged derogatory comments he made about the judge.
The Supreme Court found the process leading to the issuance of the warrant to be flawed and unconstitutional. Justices Senyo Dzamefe, Simon Gbiel Suurbaareh, and Philip Bright Mensah joined Justice Tanko in the majority decision. Justice Ernest Gaewu dissented.
The case stems from a 2020 episode of Kelvin Taylor’s social media programme, With All Due Respect, titled The Men in Red, Tainted Judiciary. In the video, he criticised Justice Eric Kyei Baffour, alleging bias and political manipulation in the handling of certain high-profile cases, particularly The Republic v. Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie and Four Others.
Justice Kyei Baffour, in response, issued a bench warrant for Kelvin Taylor’s arrest.
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
