Justice Atuguba Warns Bagbin; You could Spend 10 Years In Prison If You Disobeys The Supreme Court.

 

Retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice William Atuguba, has warned Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Bagbin that there will be dire consequences should he fail or refuse to comply with the judgment of the Supreme Court.

The apex court on Tuesday by a 5-2 Majority decision overturned Speaker Bagbin’s declaration of four seats as vacant restoring the status quo in the House.

In an exclusive interview with JoyNews, Justice Atuguba, who at one point was acting Chief Justice, explained that the Speaker could spend up to 10 years in jail or be barred from holding public office if he did not comply with the court's orders.

“In the face of this decision, he is bound by the decision of the Supreme Court.

“It is not necessarily 10 years, you must just suffer a term of imprisonment not exceeding 10 years. Also, 10 years disqualification of holding public office, and if you are a president, you are liable to removal,” he said on Tuesday.

“Parliament is not a one-man entity, it is a whole organization, it is an organ of state so this ruling must go through certain procedural processes to give it effect.

“So it is not an automatic thing, procedures would have to be followed,” he said.