Akwatia MP says Supreme Court ruling barred arrest of Kevin Taylor

Pinned summary · as of 05:30

Bernard Bediako Baidoo, the Member of Parliament for Akwatia, has defended the decision not to detain broadcaster Kevin Taylor after criticism that he escaped arrest despite attacking senior officials. Mr Baidoo says the Supreme Court found the bench warrant against Mr Taylor to be improper, leaving nobody with grounds to take him into custody. He spoke on a television programme, and the remarks were carried by GhPage and MyNewsGH.

What we know

• Mr Baidoo was asked why Mr Taylor had not been arrested, and he answered that the Supreme Court had ruled the warrant against him improper.
• He argued that the authorities could not have picked up Mr Taylor in the window between the filing of his case at the Supreme Court and the court's decision on the warrant.
• Mr Baidoo said Mr Taylor's challenge to the warrant was before the Supreme Court at the time the question of arrest arose.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  The two publications name different programmes. GhPage says the MP spoke on Newsfile, while MyNewsGH says it was Metro TV's Good Morning Ghana.
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  GhPage alone quotes Mr Baidoo as saying Mr Taylor has rights whatever prejudice people hold against him, and places the remark in a discussion of Ghana Jollof.
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  MyNewsGH alone reports that a High Court issued the warrant on January 20, 2020, and that the Supreme Court set it aside by a 4-1 decision. The court details rest on Mr Baidoo's account and no second report repeats them.
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  MyNewsGH alone reports Mr Baidoo's claim that Mr Taylor filed his Supreme Court application before returning to Ghana in 2025.
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  Mr Baidoo told MyNewsGH that the NPP had four years after the warrant was issued to act and did not, and asked why the party now criticises the present government. These are his own assertions.
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  He also pointed to an earlier Supreme Court matter tied to the late lawyer Ernest Kumi as authority against arresting someone while the validity of a process is under challenge. This comes from MyNewsGH only and has not been checked against court records.

Why it matters for Ghana

The exchange shows how one broadcaster's case has grown into a wider political argument about who enforces the law and when. Citizens following debates on free expression and on the conduct of public officials are hearing rival readings of what the courts allow the police to do. Only the Supreme Court record can settle the details Mr Baidoo cites.