Counsel for US-based Ghanaian broadcaster, has rebuffed claims that, his client is housed in the official residence of the Vice President since he arrived into the country.
According to Peter Okudjato, it is none of his business where Kevin Taylor is housed because it is not part of his job description. His response comes amidst speculation by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Assin South constituency, John Ntim Fordjour that the controversial media sensation is being lodged in that government bungalow. The parliamentarian days ago claimed that Taylor who is based in the US and holds his With All Due Respect show via the internet, where he talks about issues of national interest especially politics, was back in the country.
He said the broadcaster who was sneaked into the country despite having a 2020 arrest warrant issued against him and was housed in the bungalow, pointing out the flaws in doing that.
The MP said he was housed in the property with the help of the national security.
The Ranking Member on the Interior and Defence in Parliament, also accused the John Dramani Mahama of playing an enabling role for the broadcaster to attack many people including people in influential positions and so on.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem morning show programme on Monday July 21 the MP alleged, “It was the national security that facilitated his coming into the building where President Mahama lived when he was vice president and where successive vice president lives.
The current vice president said she wants to live in her own houseso that place is vacant, that his where they have housed him”.
He drew sharp difference between the preferential treatments the government was giving the broadcaster vis-à-vis the same government hounding the Chief Justice out of her position amidst a prima facie establishment coming out of some three petitions against the .
“It is terrible in this country that there new a government and a whole Chief Justice it is hounding her out of office, without basis but it is disgracing her and destroying the judicial service and the same government is using the national security architecture to protect someone who has offended the judiciary, there is an arrest warrant on his head will be protected. It is a serious indictment on the government.
It is serious because between Justice Gertrude Araba Sackey Torkornoo and Kevin Taylor, who has insulted Otumfuo, insulted pastors, insulted chiefs and insulted every prominent person in this country, who should the state protect?” he asked.
The MP levelled the allegation on Monday but on Tuesday July 22, Taylor was seen in court over an arrest warrant that was placed on him as back as 2020.
At the end of that hearing, the Supreme Court quashed the said warrant. Taylor was captured in viral video walking out of the court premises with his lawyer.
Later in an interview, when Peter Okudjato was asked where his client was lodged since he arrived in the country, he indicated that, that aspect is not part of his job description.
He told JoyNews Channel Elton John Brobbey that, he is not paid to know where his client lives and that his primary work is to take instruction from him and meet him in court to argue his case.
“I am engaged as his lawyer to argue his case in court…Where is housed is none of my business…the legal fee does not extend to that area”.
Asked if he was not concerned about the kinds of things he says in the public space, he retorted “That commentary does not affect my case in court, it’s a free country which guarantees the freedom of speech, and everybody is free to run a commentary. As lawyers if we want to partake in the commentaries surrounding our clients then we may not be able to do our jobs”, he said when the lawyer was interviewed on The Pulse programme on Tuesday July 22.
Okudjato added that “The fact that somebody has engaged you as a lawyer doesn’t mean he moves in to live with you or hangs around you. We take instructions and meet in court then after everybody finds his way to where they came from. That is not part of my instructions. I am not supposed to know the residence of my client that is not part of my legal instruction to know where they are lodging”.
Later in the evening when he was again interviewed on Joy FM’s Top Story programme by Kojo Brace, Okudjato provided similar answers to the whereabouts of Kevin Taylor.
Asked what it meant for his client to post a picture of the sitting vice president Prof Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, with a love emoji, he refuted saying he is not an expert in giving meanings to emojis.
“I am not an expert on emojis so I cannot comment on that one. No that is not part of my instruction”.
After four years of issuing an arrest warrant on the social media sensation which allegedly barred him from visiting Ghana, Kevin Taylor days ago arrived in the country.
This followed his declaration a while back on his programme that he was going to visit Ghana.
On Tuesday July 22, the outspoken broadcaster was seen in court with his lawyers where the Supreme Court by a 4:1 decision quashed a former high court judge’s arrest warrant. The issue has since sparked a lot of conversations on the internet especially social media.
By Gifty Boateng