Date: Jan - 31 - 2023
The Tema High Court has fined socialite, Valentina Nana Agyeiwaa, popularly known as Afia Schwarzenegger an amount of GH¢60,000 (5,000 penalty units) in a contempt case pending before the court.
The court also fined the socialite GH¢5000 to be paid to Mr Bernard Antwi Boasiako also known as Chairman Wontumi, as cost.
Afia Schwarzenegger was sentenced to 10 days in prison for contempt of court on December 1, 2022.
However, Afia Schwarzenegger was absent on the day of pronouncement.
She
made an appearance on Tuesday, December 20, 2022 in the company of her
lawyer, Adrian Duke Amaning who moved a motion on notice for a variation
of the sentence.
Coming under Order 50 Rule 4(1) and Rule 5 of
the High Court (Civil Procedures) Rules which deal with suspension of an
order and discharge of a person committed, respectively, he prayed the
court to suspend the sentence.
Order 50 Rule 4(1) states that the
court, which makes an order of committal, may by an order direct that
the execution of the order of committal shall be suspended for such
period or on such other terms and conditions
as it may specify, while
Rule 5 (1) states that the court may, on the application of any person
committed to prison for contempt of court, discharge the person.
Mr Amaning further indicated that his client had shown remorse and had since published her apology to the court.
The
court presided over by Justice Emmanuel Ankamah at its sitting on
Tuesday, January 31, 2023 granted the application of the convict and
substituted the jail sentence to 5000 penalty units.
The court
further ordered the her to sign a bond of good behaviour for 36 months.
She was also ordered not to comment on the case on any platform during
the pendency of the bond.
The court directed that any breach of the orders will warrant she being hauled back to the court.
The court said considering the fact that the applicant has apologised and shown remorse, she deserve a second chance.
Recall
It would be recalled that Chairman Wontumi had dragged Afia Schwarzenegger and other contemnors including United Television (UTV) to court after she and the other contemnors ran commentary on a case pending before the court during an entertainment show, United Showbiz, broadcast on UTV in July 2022.
Three
other contemnors namely Felicity Ama Agyeman, aka Nana Ama Mcbrown,
Kwame Asare Obeng, alias Kwame A-Plus and Emmanuel Barnes alias Mr Logic
were fined GH¢60,000 each (5,000 penalty units), which they have since
paid.
A fourth person, Fadda Dickson Narh, an Executive Producer of United Television (UTV), was pardoned by the court after the court held that he showed remorse before the case was brought to it by apologising on UTV.
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