Montie FM and Radio Gold, two radio stations affiliated to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) are back on air Thursday after it went off air on Wednesday in protest of a Supreme Court ruling in a contempt case involving the company, a staff and two other panelists.
Credible information gathered by Kasapafmonline.com indicates that a Director of Network Broadcasting Limited, operators of Radio Gold and Montie FM, Mr. Ato Ahwoi ordered the shutdown of the two stations hours after the Supreme Court ruling because the court had been unfair.
Both frequencies, 90.5MHz and 100.1MHz went off air around 2pm Wednesday after the judgement and were restored Thursday morning.
Interestingly the two stations upon coming back on air having been playing strictly gospel music for hours, a development which has surprised many observers. It is unclear why the stations have resorted to playing gospel music at this time of the day as it is at variance with the stations programming.
Information reaching this website indicates that Presenters of the two stations are saddened and demoralized and as a result are not in high spirits to conduct their activities on air, which could explain the reason for the playing of music.
It is not immediately known when normal programming on the two stations will be restored.
Background
The Supreme Court has handed a four months jail term each to the Montie FM panelists, Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn and the host of Pampaso political show, Salifu Maase, Mugabe.
They are to pay 10,000 GHS each by tomorrow, which failure to pay the fine will be another term imprisonment.
They were found guilty of scandalizing the court, defying and lowering the authority of the Supreme Court and bringing it into disrepute.
The two on June 29, warned judges of Ghana’s highest court to be wary of their conduct in the case involving the Electoral Commission and Mr. Abu Ramadan if they did not want to suffer the fate of the three members of the bench who were shot to death and burnt on June 30, 1982 in the era of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
Owners of the station were all found guilty of contempt and have been fined GHc30, 000, to be paid to the court by close of day Thursday or face a jail term of one month.
The owners, NETWORK Broadcasting Company have also been ordered to provide the court with measures put in place to guard against the recurrence of such incidence.
Justice Sophia Akuffo in her ruling said the sentencing of the three should serve as a deterrent to owners of media houses, journalists and others who flagrantly make such irresponsible and reckless comments against the judiciary.
They appeared before the Supreme Court on Monday, July 18 after they were ordered by the Supreme Court to appear to answer for the charges.
Alistair Nelson told the court he suffered a condition, “kpokpo gbligbli” which explains for the reason why he made the contemptuous statements.
The contemnors pleaded guilty and the owners of the station through their counsel pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
At their last appearance before Wednesday’s sentencing, they were found guilty of scandalizing the court, defying and lowering the authority of the court, and bringing it into disrepute and ordered to re-appear before the court today July 27, 2016 for sentencing.
