A High Court in Koforidua, Eastern Region, has issued a warrant for the arrest of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Akwatia, Ernest Yaw Kumi, for contempt of court.
The ruling follows the MP’s defiance of an interim injunction that barred him from being sworn in as the legislator for the disputed constituency.
Presiding Judge, Justice Senyo Amedahe, issued the bench warrant after noting Mr Kumi’s failure to appear throughout the contempt proceedings.
The court had earlier restrained the MP from taking office pending the resolution of a legal dispute. However, despite this directive, Kumi proceeded to take the oath of office in Parliament.
Citing clear evidence of wilful defiance, the court ruled that the lawmaker had acted in contempt.
Attempts by the Minority Caucus in Parliament to justify his absence from the hearing through an official letter were dismissed by the judge, who insisted that Kumi had disregarded the court’s authority.
Background
The Akwatia seat was among several contested in the 2024 elections, whose results were controversially declared by the Electoral Commission at the National Police Training School in Tesano, Accra.
On 2nd January 2025, the Koforidua High Court granted an injunction request filed by National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate Henry Boakye Yiadom against the Electoral Commission, Ernest Kumi, and the Clerk of Parliament, preventing Kumi’s swearing-in.
On 6th January, the court dismissed an application by Mr Kumi and reaffirmed its order barring him from taking the oath of office on 7th January 2025. The ruling also prohibited the Clerk of Parliament from swearing him in as MP for the constituency.
Despite this, Kumi proceeded with the swearing-in, stating his willingness to face any legal consequences.
