Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s representatives claim the investigative journalist may choose to testify as a prosecution witness after the Supreme Court overturned a High Court ruling to have him testify in-camera in the case Republic versus Kwesi Nyantakyi.
Cromwell Gray LLP, the Tiger Eye Pi CEO’s legal firm, said in a statement posted on his Twitter profile on Tuesday in response to the Supreme Court verdict, “Anas Aremeyaw Anas volunteered to testify in the stead of Ahmed Suale on the condition that he be allowed to do so in-camera or in chambers.”
The statement added that “Anas may choose to testify as prosecution witness or not.
“Anas and his Tiger Eye Pi team will continue to wear the iconic face beads as a symbol of impartial anonymity in investigative journalism and to highlight the extreme risk in that line of duty.”
They explained that “the Republic’s star witness, Ahmed Suale, who was one of the documentary’s investigative journalists, was murdered in Madina, Accra weeks before his testimony could be taken.”
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The Supreme Court, presided over by Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, granted a certiorari application filed by Kwesi Nyantakyi, quashing the order of High Court 2, Criminal Division, Accra granting Anas Aremeyaw Anas a dispensation to testify in camera as a prosecution witness in the criminal case entitled Republic v Kwesi Nyantakyi & Others.
The application, filed on April 29, 2022, asked the Supreme Court to overturn the High Court ruling, which Nyantakyi described as “erroneous.”
They stated that while the premiere of the documentary ‘Number 12’ was held in the open without any security concerns, why would a hearing in court with complete security be held in camera rather than in open court?
“Tiger Eye PI and its CEO, Anas Aremeyaw Anas went public with the video documentary because it was in the public interest and should have his testimony in open court, too. The public has an interest in his testimony,” they said.
Following Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s ruling, sources stated that Anas, like any other person appearing in court for any hearing, cannot appear in court wearing a mask of face beads.
However, his legal team maintains that the reports are untrue and should be disregarded.
“The public should disregard fake reportage that has been ordered by the Supreme Court or is being compelled by the Supreme Court to appear in court without his trademark face beads.”
On March 4, 2020, Nyantakyi was arraigned in court.
SOURCE: myjoyonline
